This archive report was first published on 17 December 2019.
December 17, 2019, marked a significant milestone in the fight against mental health problems, particularly among young people. A study published in the Lancet Psychiatry Journal highlighted the importance of psychotherapy in managing depression.
According to the research, conducted by scientists from the Orygen Youth Mental Health institute in Melbourne, Australia, young people seeking support for depression should be offered psychotherapy as the first line of treatment. This approach is based on the understanding that not all conditions require medication, and that a multi-faceted approach is often more effective.
Christopher Davey, the head of mood disorder research at Orygen, emphasized the significance of psychotherapy in treating depression. "The results suggest that we should really be focusing on providing good quality psychotherapy, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, to young people and keeping medication as the second line of treatment," he said.
Psychotherapy, offered by psychologists, counsellors, or psychiatrists, uses talking sessions to tackle mental health problems. The treatment aims to enable patients to understand their feelings and what makes them feel positive, anxious, or depressed, empowering them to cope with difficult situations in a more adaptive way.
The study involved 153 young people aged between 15 and 25 years who had been diagnosed with depression. All participants received cognitive behavioural therapy for 12 weeks, coupled with either the common antidepressant fluoxetine or a placebo medication. The results showed that there were no significant differences in symptom improvement between the two groups, suggesting that the addition of the fluoxetine drug did not affect the participants' mental health outcomes.
Dr. Davey noted that the results do not suggest that antidepressant drugs should not be used in treating depression. "Antidepressants can be very useful for some people. But anyone considering the role of these drugs in their treatment should first discuss this with their doctor or clinician," he said.
Susan Njoroge, a Nairobi-based family psychologist, trainer, and addiction counsellor, emphasized the importance of awareness about psychotherapy in managing mental health problems. "Most young people going through depression may not know the importance of psychotherapy. So it will not cross their mind as a solution when they have the condition," she said.
