Problem solving treatment for depression

doi:10.1136/bmj.320.7245.1340/a

BMJ 2000;320:1340 ( 13 May )

Letters

Problem solving treatment for depression

Does the paper really prove that problem solving treatment is helpful?

Study should have included placebo group

Cost effectiveness is not clear

Author's reply

Does the paper really prove that problem solving treatment is helpful?

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR $---$ Please tell me if I am missing something, but I am not convinced that the paper by Mynors-Wallis et al shows that problemsolving is an effective treatment for depression.¹ As I readit, patients were allocated to one of four groups. Of the twogroups treated with problem solving alone, up to a quarter (10of 39 treated by the doctor and six of 41 treated by the nurse)withdrew from the trial because the treatment was not working.Those left in the trial $---$ that is, those for whom the treatmentwas working $---$ were compared with those given antidepressant treatment,and it was found that the treatment was working. I note that noneof the antidepressant group withdrew because the treatment wasnotworking.

It may well be that problem solving is helpful for depressed patients. It may well be that an hour's initial treatment followedby up to . . . [Full text of this article]

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Relevant Article

Randomised controlled trial of problem solving treatment, antidepressant medication, and combined treatment for major depression in primary care: Laurence M Mynors-Wallis, Dennis H Gath, Ann Day, and Frances Baker
BMJ 2000 320: 26-30. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]