Depression Health Center

Therapy as Good as Drugs for Depression

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Bell urged patients with severe depression to be active participants in their care and to let their providers know what their preferences are.

"Ideally there would be a win-win partnership between the patient and the provider to talk about treatment choices, and to talk about lifestyle, and determine together what fits best for the patient," he told WebMD. "Remember, the patient is the one who hires the doctor. They ought to be the one to direct the doctor in their best interest. The doctor is not the patient's boss; the patient is the doctor's boss. Unfortunately, some doctors forget that, and unfortunately, some patients don't know that. We hope that patients and doctors will be able to develop a partnership that focuses on the patient's healthcare as the basic value."