Dealing with depression: What works?

CLEVELAND - Severe depression impacts the lives of an estimated 14 percent of Americans. Drug companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year on ads for antidepressants. Sales of antidepressants have soared to $10 billion a year.

But do drugs help? A survey by the Consumer Reports National Research Center of 1,500 subscribers found they can help many people.

Consumer Reports' Jamie Hirsh said, "Medication alone can help, but our survey shows that improvement from drugs levels off over time. Those who also had talk therapy and stuck with it for at least seven sessions had the best results."

Wini Alcorn said talk therapy combined with medication helped her overcome paralyzing depression. She now has a job she loves and has recently gotten married.

"I'm finally happy. I like where I am now. I feel like I've finally found my feet and found who I am," Alcorn said.

Alcorn said she's tried to do without medication, but finds she really needs it to stay on an even keel. The side effects have been manageable, although that's not always the case.

"About a third of people in our survey who took antidepressants reported a decrease in sexual interest or function," Hirsch said.

Other side effects people experienced: weight gain, dry mouth, and sleep problems.

Hirsh explained, "If you feel you can't tolerate antidepressants, the good news is that talk therapy alone helped somewhat or even a lot for almost 90 percent of people in our survey who had it."

And as far as drug side effects, Consumer Reports found fewer people had them with an older class of drugs called SSRIs -- which include medications like Prozac, Zoloft, and their generic equivalents.

The survey was conducted among Consumer Reports readers with an average age of 58. And, interesting to note, the poll also shows the brand-name antidepressants you see heavily advertised -- which are SNRIs -- were no more effective than the older class of drugs you can get as generics.

More information:
Consumer Reports information on treating depression