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This week on Health Watch, we’re talking about a major study of depression treatment recently led by doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center. In the first stage of the study, patients suffering from depression were treated with medication. While a third of the patients recovered fully at this stage, others needed additional treatment.
In the next stage, patients were randomly assigned to groups for various kinds of treatment. Some received therapy alone or in addition to medication, while others received different combinations of medication. Doctors monitored their progress, and once their symptoms improved, they were followed closely for another year. Dr. Madhukar Trivedi, a UT Southwestern psychiatrist who was one of the study’s co-authors, says the study gave doctors a comprehensive, step-by-step view of the treatment process that allows them to see what outcomes are likely with ongoing treatment.
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March 2007
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