ACP: New Guideline on Major Depressive Disorder

The American College of Physicians (ACP) has published a guideline on the treatment of adults with major depressive disorder with pharmacologic or nonpharmacologic therapies.

Although treatments such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are common treatments for major depressive disorder, nondrug treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy and psychodynamic therapies are just as effective, they noted.
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To construct the guideline, the ACP Clinical Guidelines Committee searched databases for controlled, randomized, clinical trials of psychotherapies, complementary and alternative medicines, exercise, and second-generation antidepressants from 1990 to September 2015.

Using this data, they graded the effectiveness and safety of each treatment alone or in combination for adults with major depressive disorder.

After analyzing the data, the Committee found that there was no difference between second-generation antidepressants and cognitive behavioral therapy. However, combining the 2 treatments showed an increase in patient recovery.

“ACP recommends that clinicians select between either cognitive behavioral therapy or second-generation antidepressants to treat patients with major depressive disorder after discussing treatment effects, adverse effect profiles, cost, accessibility, and preferences with the patient (Grade: strong recommendation, moderate-quality evidence),” researchers concluded.

—Amanda Balbi

Reference:

Qaseem A, Barry MJ, and Kansagara D. Nonpharmacologic versus pharmacologic treatment of adult patients with major depressive disorder: A clinical practice guideline from the American college of physicians. Ann Intern Med. Published online February 9, 2016. doi:10.7326/M15-2570.