Source?
If left untreated, a typical major depressive episode may last for about six months, while about 20% of these episodes can last two years or more, with 50% of depressive episodes ending spontaneously.
I can probably find you an article reference if you want. But I have learned this kind of research findings in psychology class.
Which says nothing about the effectiveness of psychiatric treatments. But it does argue for aggressive early treatment, whatever that might mean, in the hope of halting the progression before it could become chronic.
Mental illness is fundamentally hard to study scientifically, and I'm not convinced that any of the treatments we have actually work. But it's humane to make the attempt.
Um, yes they are. Are they reliable data? I'm not convinced they're not.
>If you're depressed, you're statistically likely to not be depressed in six months time, regardless of whether you seek treatment or not. In these circumstances, it's easy for a completely ineffective treatment to look like a miracle cure.
Because never in the history of medicine has a treatment for depression had an immediate effect?
Most mental health disorders are inherently self-limiting and will disappear without any treatment, which makes psychiatry look far more effective than it really is. If you're depressed, you're statistically likely to not be depressed in six months time, regardless of whether you seek treatment or not. In these circumstances, it's easy for a completely ineffective treatment to look like a miracle cure. The key outcome measures for most psychiatric drug trials are episode duration and likelihood of relapse, which speaks volumes.