Patient experiences of taking antidepressants for depression: a secondary qualitative analysis

Abstract

Background: Depression is one of the most commonly encountered mental health problems leading to significant morbidity and mortality and high medical and societal costs. Antidepressant prescribing in the UK has more than doubled in the last decade. There are a variety of factors that have been shown to affect a patient's experience of taking antidepressants The aim of this research was to explore patient narratives interviews about depression and its treatment in order to improve patient and health professional understanding of what it is like to use antidepressants.

Methods: This study involved a supplementary secondary qualitative analysis of 80 in-depth narrative interviews from Healthtalkonline. Patients' experiences of using medicines for depression were explored in the context of their social, occupational and emotional impact, to identify any additional issues and to clarify what type of information people want to find after being prescribed a medicine. The interviews were conducted by the University of Oxford and had received ethical approval and been consented and copyrighted for this purpose. Data were analyzed thematically.

Results: The most prominent theme was the coexistence of several conflicting issues around the use of medicines and participants were mostly influenced by the reality of their experiences, beliefs, attitudes and interaction with health care. Antidepressants appear to occupy a central place in many people' lives. Many people described how their medicines had helped them and how this served as a reinforcement to continue taking them in order to maintain a "normal life." Those who had stopped taking their antidepressants were likely to have experienced adverse reactions and had unsatisfactory interactions with health care professionals. A lack of information about antidepressants was a major cause of dissatisfaction often shaping attitudes to antidepressants'.

Conclusions: People's experiences with antidepressant use have a major impact on treatment continuation and hence treatment outcomes. Further studies are needed on depressed patients' beliefs about their depression and treatment and how they relate to different stages of illness, their interactions with health care and their adherence to antidepressants.

Keywords: Adverse drug effects; Antidepressants; Depression; Medicines adherence; Patients' experience; Secondary qualitative analysis.