Chloe is a 23 year old college student who feels depressed and kind of yucky. She has felt this way for quite some time now and her parents suggest that she sees a doctor about her symptoms.

Chloe goes to visit her primary care doctor and he gives her a Beck Depression Inventory and agrees that Chloe is clearly mildly to moderately depressed. He rules out any medical issues and tells Chloe that the best treatment for her will be antidepressant medications for at least six months, so he writes her a prescription for an SSRI medication and hands her a few pamphlets from the drug company showing the research that supports this type of treatment for mild to moderate depression.

Chloe goes home and begins researching whether antidepressants ARE the best treatment for her depression.

After researching this treatment more, Chloe decides that she would rather try another approach to treatment before considering antidepressant medications.

Chloe calls a psychologist and makes an appointment for counseling. Based on the research she did, Chloe also makes an appointment at the gym to start working with a physical trainer to get more exercise and she meets with a nutritionist to help her find ways to eat healthier foods. She also decides that she needs to spend more time with her friends doing fun activities, as she has not been doing these things for the past several months.

Chloe feels better within just a few months and is able to return to all of her normal activities without any symptoms of depression at all. Her family and her doctor are impressed with how well she is doing.

If Chloe had decided to take antidepressant medications ONLY and did not pursue any counseling or lifestyle changes, which of the following would potentially have been a PROBLEM with that (medication only) approach to treatment? (choose the BEST answer - the one that aligns with what your book states)

Question

Chloe is a 23 year old college student who feels depressed and kind of yucky.  She has felt this way for quite some time now and her parents suggest that she sees a doctor about her symptoms.

Chloe goes to visit her primary care doctor and he gives her a Beck Depression Inventory and agrees that Chloe is clearly mildly to moderately depressed.  He rules out any medical issues and tells Chloe that the best treatment for her will be antidepressant medications for at least six months, so he writes her a prescription for an SSRI medication and hands her a few pamphlets from the drug company showing the research that supports this type of treatment for mild to moderate depression.

Chloe goes home and begins researching whether antidepressants ARE the best treatment for her depression.

After researching this treatment more, Chloe decides that she would rather try another approach to treatment before considering antidepressant medications.

Chloe calls a psychologist and makes an appointment for counseling.  Based on the research she did, Chloe also makes an appointment at the gym to start working with a physical trainer to get more exercise and she meets with a nutritionist to help her find ways to eat healthier foods. She also decides that she needs to spend more time with her friends doing fun activities, as she has not been doing these things for the past several months.

Chloe feels better within just a few months and is able to return to all of her normal activities without any symptoms of depression at all.  Her family and her doctor are impressed with how well she is doing.

If Chloe had decided to take antidepressant medications ONLY and did not pursue any counseling or lifestyle changes, which of the following would potentially have been a PROBLEM with that (medication only) approach to treatment?  (choose the BEST answer - the one that aligns with what your book states)

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

We are evaluating which statement best describes a potential problem with a medication-only approach to treating Chloe's depression.
Option 1: 'none of these, pretty well all research supports the idea that treating depression with medications only is a far superior treatment to any other type of treatment.' This is misleading. The literature generally shows that combining medication with psychotherapy or lifestyle changes often yields better outcomes and reduces relapse risk, especially for mild-to-moderate depression. Claiming that meds alone are far superior oversimplifies findings and ignores evidence about relapse when medications are stopped.
Option 2: 'Because Chloe was only showing moderate symptoms of depression, the antidepressant medications would probably have made her symptoms WORSE instead of better. These medications are only appropriate to prescribe when a patient has severe depression and has had their symptoms for a year or more.' This is incorrect. Antidepressants are commonly prescribed for moderate depression and can reduce symptoms; they are not contraindicated solely due to symptom severity unless there are specific medical concerns. The statement overgeneralizes medication efficacy and does not reflect standard clinical practice.
Option 3: 'The problem with using antidepressants to treat depression in young people is that these medications have not been well researched at all and because of this they are often both highly dangerous and ineffective for patients to use.' This is inaccurate. There is substantial, though imperfect, research on antidepressants in young people, with known concerns about side effects and suicide risk in some cases, but it is not accurate to claim they are not well researched or that they are often dangerous and ineffective in general. The tone overstates risk and underrecognizes evidence of benefit for many patients.
Option 4: 'Chloe might get better on the medications, but it is quite likely that she would see her symptoms return once she stopped taking the medication as she would not have learned any healthy coping or other skills to help keep her depressive symptoms from returning.' This aligns with a well-supported concern about medication-only approaches: without psychotherapy, behavioral strategies, and lifestyle changes, patients may experience relapse after discontinuation because coping skills and maintenance strategies were not developed. This option reflects the idea that medications address symptoms pharmacologically but do not teach enduring skills for mood regulation and resilience.
Option 5: 'Because Chloe was prescribed medication by her primary care doctor and NOT a psychiatrist of mental health professional, it is extremely likely that she would have been placed on the wrong medication for her disorder. This is because primary care doctors have no training at all in treating mental health disorders and should never prescribe medications for these conditions.' This is not accurate. While psychiatrists specialize in mental health pharmacotherapy, primary care doctors routinely prescribe antidepressants and manage uncomplicated cases; saying they have no training at all is an overgeneralization and dismisses appropriate practice in many cases.
Option 6: 'the "medication only" approach to treating depression is extremely expensive and ends up costing the patient thousands of dollars more than if they had used the other strategies that Chloe chose to use' This cost-focused claim is unlikely to be the best universal description of a problem with medication-only treatment, and it ignores many insurance coverage and access dynamics. It does not directly address the core clinical issue of relapse risk or skill development.
In summary, while several options contain partial or misleading statements, the clearest clinically relevant problem with a medication-only approach—capturing both the potential for relapse after stopping medication and the absence of learned coping skills—is best described in Option 4. The other options misstate the evidence, overgeneralize, or focus on aspects less central to the question's prompt about a medication-only strategy.

PSYCH 120A -ABNORMAL P... Abnormal Psych Module Quiz #2 - due no later than 11:59 p.m. WED April 30th.

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