Explaining Patients’ Beliefs About the Necessity and Harmfulness of Antidepressants
Ann Fam Med Aikens et al.
6: 23
The Article in Brief
Explaining Patients' Beliefs About the Necessity and Harmfulness of Antidepressants
James E. Aikens, PhD
, and colleagues
Background More than one-half of patients who are prescribed antidepressants either discontinue their medication early or take it too inconsistently to gain any medical benefit. This appears to increase the risk of relapse and recurrence of depression. To help with this problem, researchers set out to explore patients' beliefs about the necessity and harmfulness of antidepressants.
What This Study Found Patients with major depression who are younger, have never taken antidepressants, view their symptoms as mild and temporary, and are unclear about the causes of their depression are most likely to be skeptical about antidepressants.
Implications
- This group of patients might benefit from educational efforts focused on their beliefs about antidepressants, thus promoting a greater willingness to take their medication and better results in treating their depression. Because negative treatment attitudes might be based on patients' experiences, however, it might not always be appropriate to try to change their beliefs about taking medications.
