A group of international scientists is working on a new way to help people with depression get better, faster. Instead of using the current “trial-and-error” approach to treatment, they are creating a tool that can recommend the best treatment plan for each person based on their age, gender, and other health factors.
Researchers from the University of Alberta in Canada and Radboud University in the Netherlands led a large, 10-year study. They analyzed data from nearly 10,000 patients across more than 60 clinical trials. The results, published in PLOS One, are part of a bigger effort to make depression treatment more precise and personal.
Why Depression Treatment Needs to Change
Depression is different for everyone. It can be caused by a mix of biological, psychological, and social factors. That’s why some people respond well to certain treatments, while others don’t improve at all.
“Right now, we mostly guess and check,” said Dr. Zachary Cohen, a psychologist and senior author of the study. “But about half of people don’t feel better with the first treatment they try.”
This can be frustrating and time-consuming, both for patients and doctors. It can also lead to people giving up on treatment altogether.
What the Study Did
To solve this problem, the research team looked at five common depression treatments:
- Antidepressant medication
- Cognitive therapy
- Behavioral therapy
- Interpersonal therapy
- Short-term psychodynamic therapy (a deep-talk therapy)
Before receiving any treatment, patients were evaluated for other mental health issues like anxiety or personality disorders. The researchers then compared how well different types of patients responded to each treatment.
Dr. Ellen Driessen, the study’s lead researcher, explained, “We wanted to know if certain people—like those who also have anxiety—do better with one treatment over another.”
The team is using the data to build a clinical decision support tool. This is a type of smart software that can give doctors treatment advice tailored to each patient.
Here’s how it would work:
The doctor enters patient details—like age, gender, and other health conditions—into the tool.
The tool uses a special algorithm (a kind of smart formula) to recommend the best treatment based on what has worked for similar people.
The doctor uses this advice to make a more informed treatment plan.
“This won’t replace doctors, but it will help them make better choices faster,” said Dr. Cohen.
The current paper outlines the team’s plan for building the tool. Creating the tool itself will take another year or two. After that, the team plans to test it in real-life clinics to see if it works as expected.
If it proves helpful, the tool could be made available around the world. It could be as simple as a web app where doctors enter patient details and get a recommendation instantly.
The researchers believe this could lead to faster recovery for people with depression and better use of treatment resources.
“If it works, this could help a lot of people,” said Dr. Cohen. “And it wouldn’t cost much to use, since it only needs basic information that doctors already collect.”
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