Older people rely on depression medication more than psychotherapy

People seeking help for mental health problems receive medication two to three times more often than therapy, depending on their age group, according to a study reported by ERR. Professional help largely consists of prescribing medication, particularly for older people, experts said.

The study was commissioned by the Estonian-Swedish Institute of Suicidology and Mental Health and conducted by Norstat. Experts said medication may be used more often because it is cheaper and more accessible.

The project “Depression-Free Tallinn” surveyed 1,000 adults about their attitudes and experiences in the Tallinn districts of Lasnamäe, Õismäe and Mustamäe.

Project leader Rainer Mere said the results showed that prejudice, stigma and confusion about mental health issues remained widespread. People over 60 use medication to treat depression three times more often than psychotherapy, he said.

“Older people are willing to receive help and are not necessarily opposed to therapy,” Mere said. “For some reason, however, they rarely reach it. Perhaps it is not offered to them, they do not know to ask for it, or doctors do not know to offer it.”

Margus Tõnissaar, president of the Estonian Association of Psychologists, said the findings were expected because medication was cheap and easier to access, while mental health services remained difficult to obtain in Estonia. He also expressed concern about the uneven quality of services.

Tõnissaar said people should be able to distinguish qualified psychologists from those who should not use the title. He added that mental health problems could not be solved only with medication, therapy or counselling, but also required support from families and communities and the development of social skills.

Mari Ader-Nobels, a mental health adviser at the Ministry of Social Affairs, said the government aims to improve access to psychological help and give people a wider choice of treatment options. In recent years, the ministry has expanded opportunities for clinical psychologists to provide services and has worked to increase the number of specialists.

According to Ader-Nobels, family health centres can now provide mental health support through family doctors, mental health nurses, clinical psychologists and, since last year, counselling psychologists whose services are funded through the Health Insurance Fund. The ministry also continues to support professional training years for clinical psychologists and counselling psychologists.