Anti-depressant Medication or Psychological Treatment?

Rethinkhealth16 Jun, 2021Health

We often meet patients who are feeling uncharacteristically low or depressed, particularly following a hospital admission. Given the difficulty patients often encounter in accessing high quality psychological treatments, they may consider trialling anti-depressant medication as an alternative. However, this may not be recommended. For mild-moderate depression psychological treatments are advised (NICE, 2009). National Guidelines (which provide treatment recommendations in the UK) recommend that anti-depressant medication is only prescribed for patients experiencing moderate-severe depression, alongside a psychological treatment.