To summarize... What is the best solution for depression?
flowchart
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Irregular levels of serotonin
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​Genetic Disorder
symptoms/causes
treatments
Psychotherapy
Drug Therapy
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SSRIs
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MAOIs
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TCAs
biological
ECTs
Cognitive
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Selective-Abstraction
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Polar Reasoning
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Overgeneralization
CBTs​
Test to see if patients need biomedical treatment
socio-cultural
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Social class and income
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Relationship with spouse/others
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Gender roles
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Cultural expectations
Group Therapy
MBCTs
CBTs
Each patient has different circumstances. Psychiatrists should treat each cases individually and see which branch plays the biggest role for their depression, and see which treatment works the best.
Supporting study of eclectic approach
Klerman et al. (1974)
Aim:
To test the efficacy of treatment with anti-depressants and psychotherapy, alone or in combination.
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Method:
Controlled method was used. 150 female participants diagnosed with depression were divided into three groups:
1. Received anti-depressants alone
2. Combination of anti-depressants and psychotherapy
3. No medication but more psychotherapy
4. Placebo and no psychotherapy
Participants were observed.
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Results:
Highest relapse rate was seen for patients in the placebo group alone with the rate of 36%.
Relapse rate for...
Placebo group: 36%
Anti-depressants alone: 12%
Psychotherapy: 16.7%
Both: 12.5%
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Implication:
There is no significant difference between drug therapy alone or drug therapy in combination with psychotherapy.
Strength:
Highly controlled with high reliability and internal validity.
Limitation:
Does not look at each case individually. The amount of time spent on psychotherapy could have effect on the relapse rate.
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