Originally published March 28 2005
Money spent on antidepressant prescriptions could have gone to alternative treatments, says British study
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The number of antidepressant prescriptions written in Britain tripled between 1991 and 2002, and researchers at the University of Bristol say that much of the money spent on those prescriptions could have gone to alternative therapies. Their paper, published in the British Medical Journal, contends that more funding is needed for cognitive behavioral therapy, rather than putting people with depression immediately on drugs.
-- Researchers from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom say some of the money spent on prescription antidepressants over the last decade could have instead gone to behavioral therapy, which has proven effectiveness.
Researchers say cognitive behavioral therapy is an effective alternative to drugs but is not widely used.
The number of prescription antidepressant drugs has risen dramatically in the United Kingdom since the early 1990s.
Using Department of Health data, researchers determined the number of patients who could have been treated with cognitive behavioral therapy in 2002 if the rise in prescribing had not occurred and the associated costs had been diverted to psychological treatments.
Between 1991 and 2002, prescriptions per person for all antidepressants increased by almost three-fold.
Researchers say 1.54 million patients who suffered from depression could have undergone behavior therapy with the millions of dollars extra spent on antidepressant drugs.
Researchers conclude there is a clear need to establish the most appropriate balance between drugs and other methods to treat depression.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week.
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