| ■ Timely Psychiatric Therapy Rare for Patients on Antidepressants: Study | 06.08.10 |
| Most patients who are prescribed antidepressant drugs don't get the psychotherapy they require immediately after they start taking the drugs, a period of time when there can be a temporary increased risk for suicidal behavior, a U.S. study finds. Researchers reviewed prescription and doctor visit records of nearly 80,000 adults and about 5,000 youngsters from July 2001 through September 2003 and found that only about a third of children and even fewer adults saw a doctor or therapist for mental health care within a month of beginning antidepressant drug treatment, the Associated Press reported. Factors that may contribute to the problem include: cost of therapy, a shortage of psychiatrists in some parts of the United States, and a lack of follow-up by busy family physicians. The study -- by Medco Health Solutions Inc., which manages prescription benefits for health plans -- was conducted before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's 2004 recommendation that new antidepressant users see a doctor once a week during the first month of antidepressant treatment and three more times in the following two months, the AP reported. The FDA has also asked drug companies to place warnings on antidepressant drugs that call for close monitoring of suicidal thoughts or violent behavior in the first few weeks after patients start treatment. |