Why do patients often seek an alternative treatment for depression?
- Psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy provide significant relief for approximately 50-70% who complete the treatment (Elkin at al., 1989).
- Of those who enrol in treatment, about one third terminate the treatment
prematurely (Elkin at al., 1989) due to:
- Dissatisfaction with the current treatment
- Intolerable side effects
- Even among those who recover, from an episode of
major depression, more than
one third show a clinical relapse within 18 months (Shea et al.,
1992)
