Study reveals drugs like Effexor might not always be needed for depression

Though many individuals take pharmaceuticals such as Effexor to decrease the negative symptoms of depression, researchers continue to find new alternative methods of treating the condition. A study was recently released that revealed the consistent benefits of several different types of psychotherapy used to treat depression.

How useful is psychotherapy?
Researchers from the University of Bern in Switzerland recently reviewed 198 published studies that included more than . The treatments analyzed included interpersonal psychotherapy, behavioral activation, cognitive behavioral? therapy, psychodynamic therapy, supportive counseling, social skills training and problem solving therapy.

The study revealed that each type of psychotherapeutic intervention, also known as talking therapy, had almost equal benefits across the board. None of the subjects included in the studies that were analyzed were prescribed antidepressants, showing that this holistic approach to treating depression could be more effective than previously believed.

"We found evidence that most of the seven psychotherapeutic interventions under investigation have comparable effects on depressive symptoms and achieve moderate to large effects vis-a-vis waitlist," Jurgen Barth, the study's lead author, explained. "All seven psychotherapeutic interventions achieved a small to moderate effect compared to usual care. Overall, we found that different psychotherapeutic interventions for depression have comparable, moderate-to-large effects."

The researchers also concluded that the therapies had consistent outcomes for patients coming from a variety of backgrounds and experiencing myriad symptoms. These consistencies showed that talking therapy can be used to dramatically reduce the negative effects of depression, and can be so useful that antidepressants do not need to be prescribed at times.

However, some more severe types of depression will necessitate the use of antidepressants such as Effexor. Individuals who are concerned about their mental wellness should seek medical treatment and work with their therapists to develop a favorable treatment plan.

Link between migraine, depression
Medscape recently reported that a new study found that individuals who have than those without either condition, or with only one. According to the news provider, Larus S. Gudmundsson, Ph.D., and a team of researchers from the National Institute on Aging, found that the two conditions in tandem negatively impact the size of the brain.

The source noted that Gudmundsson and her team found that older individuals who have histories of the two conditions had a 2 percent smaller brain than others, essentially wiping four and a half years of brain growth from the patients.