Why do I need to keep taking antidepressant medications after I feel better?

You've heard medical doctors say you need to continue taking an antibiotic for as many days as prescribed-even if you feel better sooner. The same is true for antidepressants, although you have to take them longer.

Antidepressant medications treat your symptoms, making you feel better, but the illness continues. The medication is needed to control the illness until full recovery is achieved. If this is your first episode of depression, don't be surprised if your doctor says you need to take the medicine for six to nine months after you start feeling better. This is how long it takes the medicine to protect you against the depressive illness, which continues to cause imbalances in your brain chemistry and nerve cells. For someone who has suffered from more than one episode of depression, medication and psychotherapy may be necessary for longer periods of time.

Studies have shown the combination of psychotherapy and medication often is more effective than either treatment alone.

Once you begin feeling better, your doctor will focus treatment on helping you avoid a relapse, which is why he or she asks you to continue taking the medication. However, if you and your doctor decide to stop the medication, studies have shown the importance of stopping gradually. Abrupt discontinuation of antidepressant medications can increase the risk of a relapse.

The article is one of a series of articles about depression by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). From Guidelines for Adolescent Depression in Primary Care (GLAD-PC) ToolKit (Zucherbrot, Ed), http://www.kidsmentalhealth.org/GLAD-PC.html