Depression Symptoms, Adherence Improved With Novel Intervention

The Treatment Initiation and Participation Program (TIP), a psychosocial intervention, was able to improve antidepressant adherence among older patients with depression in a primary care setting, according to a recent study.

In the randomized clinical trial, the researchers recruited 231 participants aged 55 years or older who recently initiated depression treatment with a primary care physician. A total of 116 participants were randomly assigned to usual care and 115 participants were randomly assigned to TIP.
________________________________________________________________
RELATED CONTENT
1 Hour of Leisurely Exercise Protects Against Depression
Can DNA Analysis Help Treat Depression?
________________________________________________________________
Participants assigned to TIP completed three 30-minute sessions during the 6 weeks following an antidepressant prescription. They identified and addressed barriers to adherence, which included stigma, misconceptions, and fears about treatment, and designed a personalized adherence strategy.

The primary outcome was self-reported adherence, assessed using the Brief Medication Questionnaire, and the secondary outcome was depression severity. Adequate early adherence was defined as taking 80% or more of the prescribed medication at 6 and 12 weeks.

At 6 weeks, participants in the TIP group were 5 times more likely to be adherent to antidepressant therapy. Likewise, participants in the TIP group were 3 times more likely to be adherent at both 6 and 12 weeks. Additionally, those assigned to TIP experienced significant earlier reductions in depression symptoms (24.9%).

Among participants in both groups, those who were 80% adherence at 6 and 12 weeks experienced a 15% greater improvement in depressive symptoms compared with baseline over the course of treatment.

“The Treatment Initiation and Participation Program is an effective intervention to improve early adherence to pharmacotherapy,” the researchers concluded. “Improved adherence can promote improvement in depression.”

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Sirey JA, Banerjee S, Marino P, et al. Adherence to depression treatment in primary care: a randomized clinical trial [published online September 27, 2017]. JAMA Psychiatry. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2017.3047.