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| |  Study Shows Psychotherapy As Effective As Drug Therapy For Atypical Depression DALLAS, TX -- May 13, 1999 -- Psychotherapy can be just as effective for treating atypical major depression as the standard drug treatment with phenelzine sulfate, reported University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas researchers in today's Archives of General Psychiatry. Dr. Robin Jarrett, associate professor of psychiatry, said this is the first time researchers have compared medication and psychotherapy for atypical depression in a randomised, placebo-controlled trial. It is only the second time cognitive therapy for major depression has been tested in a randomised study containing a pill placebo. "The implication of the study is that cognitive therapy is an effective alternative to MAO inhibitors for patients with major depressive disorder with affective features," she said. "These findings are important because clinicians and patients now have a tested and effective alternative to pharmacotherapy." In the 10-week study, UT Southwestern researchers, led by Jarrett, treated 108 patients experiencing atypical depression. One-third received the monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor phenelzine sulfate (marketed as Nardil by Parke,Davis Co.); one-third received cognitive therapy, which teaches people to examine the relationship between emotions, thoughts and behaviour; and one-third received a pill placebo. Fifty-eight percent of patients in both the cognitive therapy group and the phenelzine group responded to treatment. Twenty-eight percent in the placebo group responded positively. The central feature of atypical depression is that the patient's mood brightens when positive events occur. People with atypical depression may gain weight and spend large amounts of time sleeping. Other symptoms include feeling weighted down or heavy and being extremely sensitive to interpersonal rejection. "More research on atypical depression treatments still needs to be done, including evaluating the effectiveness of serotonin reuptake inhibitors like Prozac and Zoloft," Jarrett said.
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