What is it about?
This paper reports on a randomised controlled trial comparing a specialist depression service (SDS) with treatment as usual for people with persistent depression. The SDS involved a collaborative care approach with psychiatrists and cognitive behavioural therapists over the course of 12 months.
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Why is it important?
Depression is common and can be costly to individuals and society. Clinical guidelines recommend combined drug therapy and psychotherapy, but no trials have previously been carried out that follow patients for long enough. The results of this study suggest that a specialist depression service could improve depression symptoms, with a significant treatment effect at 18 month follow-up. However, the cost-effectiveness of the service may depend on continued benefit over a longer period of time.
Perspectives
Despite the apparent high cost of the specialist depression service, it is important to consider that many of these patients have very low quality of life and have not previously received effective care. It will be interesting to see if the observed benefits are maintained over the long term.
Mr Christopher James Sampson
The Office of Health Economics
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Efficacy and cost-effectiveness of a specialist depression service versus usual specialist mental health care to manage persistent depression: a randomised controlled trial, The Lancet Psychiatry, September 2016, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/s2215-0366(16)30143-2.
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