A Call for the Combined Pharmacological and Psychological Treatment of Depression

Pharmacological therapies, such as antidepressants, are the most commonly used treatment for depression. However, pharmacological therapies do not offer long-term benefits that are provided by other forms of therapy, such as cognitive and cognitive-behavioral therapies. One major long-term benefit of psychological therapies is that they lower the relapse rate of depression through a change in thinking patterns. This paper will provide scientific evidence suggesting that an integration of both pharmacological and psychological treatments is of critical importance in practice. The case for combination treatments for depression will be made through the discussion of the long-term benefits of psychological therapies and the importance of pharmacological therapies. This will be done by looking at specific cohorts including patients with severe and chronic depression, and those who are unresponsive to pharmacological or psychological therapies alone. Lastly, the importance of giving clinical psychologists prescription privileges will be discussed