ANI |
Updated: April 23, 2022 23:16 is
Washington [US]Apr 23 (ANI): Comparing depressed people who do not take antidepressants, it was found that the use of drugs over time is not associated with better health-related quality of life.
These were the findings of a recent study published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Omar Almohammed of King Saud University in Saudi Arabia and his colleagues.
It is generally well known that depressive disorder has a significant impact on patients’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL). While studies have shown the efficacy of antidepressants for the treatment of depression, the effect of these drugs on patients’ overall well-being and HRQoL remains controversial.
In the new study, researchers used data from the 2005-2015 United States Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), a large longitudinal study that tracks health services used by Americans. Anyone diagnosed with a depressive disorder was identified in the MEPS files.
During the study period, an average of 17.47 million adult patients were diagnosed with depression each year with a two-year follow-up, and of these, 57.6 percent received treatment with antidepressant medications.
Use of antidepressants was associated with some improvement in the mental component of SF-12 – survey health-related quality of life monitors. However, when this positive change was compared with the change in a group of people who had been diagnosed with a depressive disorder but did not take antidepressants, there was no association of antidepressants with either physical (p = 0.9955) or mental (p = 0.9955) or psychotic (p = 0.9955) antidepressants. There was no statistically significant relationship. =0.6405) component of SF-12. In other words, the change in quality of life in those taking antidepressants over two years was not significantly different from what was seen in those who were not taking the drugs.
The study was not able to analyze any subtypes or varying severity of depression separately. The authors say that future studies should examine the use of non-pharmacological depression interventions used in combination with antidepressants.
The authors say: “While we still need our patients with depression to continue using their antidepressants, there is a need for long-term studies evaluating the true impact of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions on these patients’ quality of life. With that being said, the role of cognitive and behavioral interventions in the long-term management of depression needs to be further evaluated in an effort to improve the ultimate goal of care for these patients; improving their overall quality of life. ” (ANI)
