Many people suffer from depression.  There are several ways to treat depression, including behavioral therapy.  However, it appears that most people choose drug therapy as a way to combat their depressive symptoms.

A new survey from Consumer Reports finds that nearly 80 percent of Americans take prescription drugs for depression.  Most of these people are prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, or Lexapro, or other antidepressant medications.  Among the 1500 people who were surveyed, many participants complained of experiencing more side effects, including loss of sexual desire, from serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), a newer and more expensive class of antidepressants that includes Effexor and Cymbalta.

Although most people choose to seek drug treatment for their depressive symptoms, the survey found that patients can benefit from any type of treatment.  Participants reported improvement of their symptoms after seven or more sessions of behavioral therapy with a psychiatrist, psychologist, or social worker.  This improvement was about the same as the improvement of symptoms experienced after taking antidepressant medications.

The results of this survey clearly indicate that drug therapy is the preferred form of treatment for depression.  However, it appears that talk therapy can provide just as much benefit.  As a result, it is important for healthcare professionals to discuss all of the options with their patients who are suffering from depression.  In addition, those who are experiencing depressive symptoms should be open to all forms of treatment, including behavioral therapy and drug therapy. Additional studies are needed to evaluate other forms of treatment for depression, but this survey provides a good snapshot of the current perception of treatment.

Depression affects millions of Americans each year.  Symptoms of depression include loss of appetite, difficulty sleeping, thoughts of suicide, and loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyable.