The Fluoxetine and cognitive-behavioral therapy study, is a randomized controlled trial. It entails the reaction of the patients when administered with the individual and combination of Fluoxetine and cognitive-behavioral therapy treatments among adolescent patients with depression.
Methodology
The participants were subjected to interviews and monitoring as they took the drugs. The study was carried out in 13 academic and general clinics in the period between 2000 and 2003. The participants were obtained voluntarily. They had one aspect in common, which was; a history of a depressive disorder. They were administered with the three treatments independently and the combination for the 12 weeks (Glass, 2005). Therefore, this was enough time to monitor the progress of the patients.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Safety, Impact on Suicide and Psychiatric Implications
The depression patients are at risk of committing suicide and negatively affecting their organ functionality. The combination of treatments has a significant impact on the reduction of the rate of suicide as compared to when the medications are administered individually. There were no significant psychiatric effects recorded during the trial (Glass, 2005). Thus, the combination of these forms of treatment assures the patients of their welfare during their recovery journey.
Positive and Negative Results
The combination of the treatment proved to be effective on the patients as they showed remarkable signs of improvement. However, the suicidal thoughts were not completely eradicated from the participants, as some of them still thought of engaging in the act (Glass, 2005). Seven patients attempted suicide during the trial, and they were barred from accomplishing it.
Individual and Combined Results
The effects of the patient using Fluoxetine surpassed those of cognitive-behavioral therapy. The combination of the two forms of treatment proved to be more effective as the progress of the patients was higher compared to that of these individual treatments.
Opinion on the Results
The results offer a clear guideline on the path to follow when handling patients with depressive disorders. Rather than embarking on individual treatments that take an extended period to show results, it is crucial to enhance their recovery progress through the combination of these two types of treatment. Thus, the rate of adolescent suicide cases attributed to depression can be eradicated using this combination.
Reference
Glass, R. M. (2005). Fluoxetine, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and their combination for adolescents with depression: treatment for adolescents with depression study (TADS) randomized controlled trial. The Journal of Pediatrics , 146 (1), 145. doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2004.10.032
