King saud university, Public university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

When comparing depressed people who don't take antidepressants with those who do, it was found that usage of the drugs over time is not associated with significantly better health-related quality of life.These were the findings of a recent study published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Omar Almohammed of King Saud University, Saudi Arabia, and colleagues.It is generally well known that depression disorder has a significant impact on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients. While studies have shown the efficacy of antidepressant medications for the treatment of depression, these medications' effect on patients' overall well-being and HRQoL remains controversial.In the new study, the researchers used data from the 2005-2015 United States' Medical Expenditures Panel Survey (MEPS), a large longitudinal study that tracks the health services that Americans use. Any person with a diagnosis of depression disorder was identified in the MEPS files.Over the duration of the study, on average there were 17.47 million adult patients diagnosed with depression each year with two years of follow-up, and 57.6 per cent of these received treatment with antidepressant medications.The use of antidepressants was associated with some improvement in the mental component of SF-12 -- the survey tracking health-related quality of life. However, when this positive change was compared to the change in a group of people who were diagnosed with the depressive disorder but did not take antidepressants, there was no statistically significant association of antidepressants with either the physical (p=0.9595) or mental (p=0.6405) component of SF-12. In other words, the change in the quality of life seen among those on antidepressants over two years was not significantly different from that seen among those not taking the drugs.The study was not able to separately analyze any subtypes or varying severities of depression. The authors say that future studies should investigate the use of non-pharmacological depression interventions used in combination with antidepressants.The authors add: "Although we still need our patients with depression to continue using their antidepressant medications, long-term studies evaluating the actual impact of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions on these patients' quality of life is needed. With that being said, the role of cognitive and behavioural interventions in the long term-management of depression needs to be further evaluated in an effort to improve the ultimate goal of care for these patients; improving their overall quality of life."( With inputs from ANI )Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

King Saud UniversityFOLLOW

King saud university, Latest News

Riyadh, May 10 Saudi Arabia's authority of civil aviation has announced its initiative to prepare a framework that ... ...

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz was admitted to a hospital in the Red Sea city of Jeddah to undergo medical tests, local media reported citing Saudi Press Agency. ...

Islamabad, May 1 Saudi Arabia has agreed to provide Pakistan a "sizeable package" of around $8 billion to ... ...

After completing his three-day visit to Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is heading to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a statement from the PM office said on Saturday. ...

Police arrested five Pakistani nationals for "abusing and insulting" members of PM Shehbaz Sharif's delegation at the Masjid-e-Nabawi (PBUH) in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. ...

In the wake of loud chanting and sloganeering against Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his delegation, Saudi Arabia's authorities on Friday arrested some Pakistanis over violating the sanctity of the Masjid-e-Nabawi (PBUH) in Medina. ...

Islamabad, April 28 During his visit to Saudi Arabia, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif may seek a $7.4 ... ...

When comparing depressed people who don't take antidepressants with those who do, it was found that usage of the drugs over time is not associated with significantly better health-related quality of life. ...