Estimating remission from untreated major depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Abstract
Background: Few studies have examined spontaneous remission from major depression. This study investigated the proportion of prevalent cases of untreated major depression that will remit without treatment in a year, and whether remission rates vary by disorder severity. Method: Wait-list controlled trials and observational cohort studies published up to 2010 with data describing remission from untreated depression at ⩽2-year follow-up were identified. Remission was defined as rescinded diagnoses or below threshold scores on standardized symptom measures. Nineteen studies were included in a regression model predicting the probability of 12-month remission from untreated depression, using logit transformed remission proportion as the dependent variable. Covariates included age, gender, study type and diagnostic measure. Results: Wait-listed compared to primary-care samples, studies with longer follow-up duration and older adult compared to adult samples were associated with lower probability of remission. Child and adolescent samples were associated with higher probability of remission. Based on adult samples recruited from primary-care settings, the model estimated that 23% of prevalent cases of untreated depression will remit within 3 months, 32% within 6 months and 53% within 12 months. Conclusions: It is undesirable to expect 100% treatment coverage for depression, given many will remit before access to services is feasible. Data were drawn from consenting wait-list and primary-care samples, which potentially over-represented mild-to-moderate cases of depression. Considering reported rates of spontaneous remission, a short untreated period seems defensible for this subpopulation, where judged appropriate by the clinician. Conclusions may not apply to individuals with more severe depression.
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The meta-analysis by Whiteford et al. (2013) showed that the rate of spontaneous remission in untreated depression decreases continuously over time.
“The meta-analysis by Whiteford et al. (2013) covering the rate of spontaneous remission in untreated depression showed that this rate decreases continuously over time.”
From Empirical evidence for definitions of episode, remission, recovery, relapse and recurrence in depression: a systematic review (2019) · cites this paper as Whiteford et al. 2013
Approximately 23% of cases of untreated depression remit spontaneously within three months, and 32% within six months.
“Although approximately 23 % of cases of untreated depression remit spontaneously within three months, and 32 % in six months [18]”
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Mahajan, G., Vallender, E. J., Garrett, M. R., Challagundla, L., Overholser, J. C., Jurjus, G., Dieter, L., Syed, M., Romero, D. G., Benghuzzi, H., et al. (2017) · Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.11.017 · Cited by 159 · see citing works
“The economic burden of depression in the U.S., along with comorbid conditions, is estimated at over $170B, and depressive disorders are the leading contributors to global burden of disease (Greenberg et al., 2015; Whiteford et al., 2013).”
BackgroundAli, M. K., Chwastiak, L., Poongothai, S., Emmert-Fees, K. M. F., Patel, S. A., Anjana, R. M., Sagar, R., Shankar, R., Sridhar, G. R., Kosuri, M., et al. (2020) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.2020.11747 · Cited by 143 · see citing works
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“The improvement in the control group might be attributable to the passing of time, self-efficacy, patients’ use of treatments other than Be Good to Yourself (see Table 1), or spontaneous remission (Whiteford et al., 2013).”
BackgroundEarly intervention for depression in young people: a blind spot in mental health care
Davey, C. G., & McGorry, P. D. (2019) · The Lancet Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s2215-0366(18)30292-x · Cited by 137 · see citing works
Brown, J. S., Evans-Lacko, S., Aschan, L., Henderson, M. J., Hatch, S. L., & Hotopf, M. (2014) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-014-0275-y · Cited by 140 · see citing works
“[41] who examined untreated samples such as waiting list participants, estimated that over 53% with diagnosed depression would remit after 12 months and found that severity affected remission.”
BackgroundHistory repeating: guidelines to address common problems in psychedelic science
van Elk, M., & Fried, E. I. (2023) · Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1177/20451253231198466 · Cited by 137 · see citing works
Maulik, P. K., Kallakuri, S., Devarapalli, S., Vadlamani, V. K., Jha, V., & Patel, A. (2017) · Journal of Global Health · doi:10.7189/jogh.07.010408 · Cited by 125 · see citing works
COVID-19 and telemental health: Benefits, challenges, and future directions.
Madigan, S. L., Racine, N. M., Cooke, J. E., & Korczak, D. J. (2020) · Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne · doi:10.1037/cap0000259 · Cited by 128 · see citing works
A Dynamical Systems View of Psychiatric Disorders-Theory: A Review.
Scheffer, M., Bockting, C., Borsboom, D., Cools, R., Delecroix, C., Hartmann, J., Kendler, K., van de Leemput, I. A., van der Maas, H. L. J., van Nes, E. V., et al. (2024) · JAMA psychiatry · doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.0215 · Cited by 134 · see citing works
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“A group comparison at follow-up was not conducted, which would have been informative given that PPD is often a spontaneously remitting condition [18] and, therefore, may improve over time irrespective of treatment.”
BackgroundMethodMassoudi, B., Holvast, F., Bockting, C. L. H., Burger, H., & Blanker, M. H. (2019) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2018.11.050 · Cited by 101 · see citing works
The Impact of (the Concept of) Treatment-Resistant Depression: An Opinion Review
Demyttenaere, K., & Van Duppen, Z. (2019) · International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1093/ijnp/pyy052 · Cited by 98 · see citing works
“Spontaneous remission in untreated major depression was found to be 23%, 32%, and 53% after 3, 6, and 12 months, respectively, although lower figures were observed in more severely depressed patient (Whiteford et al., 2013).”
BackgroundOrmel (2019) · doi:10.1097/yco.0000000000000505 · Cited by 102 · see citing works
“In addition, a recent meta-analysis of 19 observational studies in primarycare settings in Western countries estimated that 23% of untreated depression remit within 3 months, 32% within 6 months, and 53% within 12 months [15,16].”
Hallford, D. J., Rusanov, D., Yeow, J. J. E., & Barry, T. J. (2021) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291721001343 · Cited by 102 · see citing works
“Given that clinical status was associated with stronger effect sizes, and a proportion of people with diagnosed depression remit over time, either with or without treatment (Whiteford et al., 2013), changes for those with diagnosed depression might also partially explain reduced effects over time.”
BackgroundMilgrom, J., Gemmill, A. W., Ericksen, J., Burrows, G., Buist, A., & Reece, J. (2015) · Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/0004867414565474 · Cited by 94 · see citing works
“A recent meta-analysis of 3-month, 6-month and 12-month remission rates in untreated major depression (Whiteford et al., 2013) estimated that around 32% of adults in primary care will experience remission of Figure 4.”
MethodClinical correlates of resilience factors in geriatric depression
Laird, K. T., Lavretsky, H., Paholpak, P., Vlasova, R. M., Roman, M., St. Cyr, N., & Siddarth, P. (2019) · International Psychogeriatrics · doi:10.1017/s1041610217002873 · Cited by 93 · see citing works
Holmes, E. A., Bonsall, M. B., Hales, S. A., Mitchell, H., Renner, F., Blackwell, S. E., Watson, P., Goodwin, G. M., & Simplicio, M. C. D. (2016) · Translational Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/tp.2015.207 · Cited by 95 · see citing works
“Unlike in other psychiatric disorders, mood trajectories are not expected to improve spontaneously in bipolar disorder 60 as instability is persistent and mood constantly fl uctuates.”
The Diagnosis and Management of Bipolar I and II Disorders: Clinical Practice Update
Bobo, W. V. (2017) · Mayo Clinic Proceedings · doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2017.06.022 · Cited by 98 · see citing works
Wolpert, M., & Rutter, H. (2018) · BMC Medicine · doi:10.1186/s12916-018-1079-6 · Cited by 89 · see citing works
“The rates of non-professionally mediated improvement for key difficulties may be as high as 60% for adolescent depression [25].”
BackgroundTadayonnejad, R., Yang, S., Kumar, A., & Ajilore, O. (2014) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2014.10.017 · Cited by 85 · see citing works
“Despite the availability of different treatment options, the remission rate from MDD is estimated not to be more than 50%, even after one year of treatment (Whiteford et al., 2013).”
BackgroundLindner, P., Hamilton, W., Miloff, A., & Carlbring, P. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00792 · Cited by 85 · see citing works
“While spontaneous remission is not uncommon (3), depression episodes commonly become recurrent (4) and only an estimated half of sufferers seek treatment (5).”
BackgroundBeard, J. I. L., & Delgadillo, J. (2019) · Depression and Anxiety · doi:10.1002/da.22931 · Cited by 81 · see citing works
“%) of depression treatment trials (Posternak & Miller, 2001; Whiteford et al., 2013); hence the early response effect cannot simply be explained by spontaneous remission.”
BackgroundMilgrom, J., Danaher, B., Seeley, J., Holt, C. J., Holt, C., Ericksen, J., Tyler, M. S., Gau, J. M., & Gemmill, A. W. (2020) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/17185 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
“A considerable body of research supports the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) interventions for depression in clinical settings [7,8].”
The effect of treatment as usual on major depressive disorder: A meta-analysis
Kolovos, S., van Tulder, M. W., Cuijpers, P., Prigent, A., Chevreul, K., Riper, H., & Bosmans, J. E. (2017) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2016.12.013 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
“A recent meta-analysis predicted that 23% of the patients receiving no treatment will remit from major depression at 13 weeks (Whiteford et al., 2013).”
The effect of antidepressant treatment on HIV and depression outcomes
Pence, B. W., Gaynes, B. N., Adams, J., Thielman, N. M., Heine, A. D., Mugavero, M. J., McGuinness, T. M., Raper, J. L., Willig, J. H., Shirey, K., et al. (2015) · AIDS · doi:10.1097/qad.0000000000000797 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
“Depressive disorders are cyclical, with approximately half of depressive episodes resolving within 12 months without treatment [13].”
Backgroundten Have, M., Penninx, B. W. J. H., Tuithof, M., van Dorsselaer, S., Kleinjan, M., Spijker, J., & de Graaf, R. (2017) · Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica · doi:10.1111/acps.12753 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Beutel, M. E., Weißflog, G., Leuteritz, K., Wiltink, J., Haselbacher, A., Ruckes, C., Kuhnt, S., Barthel, Y., Imruck, B. H., Zwerenz, R., et al. (2014) · Annals of Oncology · doi:10.1093/annonc/mdt526 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
“For STPP of depression remission rates between 45% and 70% at treatment termination were published, while remission rates in primary-care settings (comparable with TAU) ranged between 20% and ∼50% [10].”
Why hasn’t the mental health of Australians improved? The need for a national prevention strategy
Jorm, A. F. (2014) · Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/0004867414546387 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
“For cases of depression, the untreated remission rate is 20–30% higher for mild–moderate than for severe disorders (Whiteford et al., 2013).”
BackgroundVanobberghen, F. M., Weiss, H. A., Fuhr, D. C., Sikander, S., Afonso, E., Ahmad, I., Atif, N., Bibi, A., Bibi, T., Bilal, S., et al. (2019) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2019.11.110 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
“This may be explained by the intervention design which puts emphasis on the first three months after child-birth by frontloading sessions antenatally and soon after childbirth, and/or by the natural remission rates of untreated depression over time (Austin et al., 2008; Posternak and Miller, 2001; Rojas et al., 2007;…”
BackgroundSong, J., Jiang, R., Chen, N., Qu, W., Liu, D., Zhang, M., Fan, H., Zhao, Y., & Tan, S. (2021) · Asian Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.ajp.2021.102656 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Mekonen, T., Ford, S., Chan, G., Hides, L. M., Connor, J. P., & Leung, J. (2021) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2021.09.046 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
Transdiagnostic group CBT for anxiety disorders: the unified protocol in mental health services
Reinholt, N., Aharoni, R., Winding, C., Rosenberg, N., Rosenbaum, B., & Arnfred, S. (2017) · Cognitive Behaviour Therapy · doi:10.1080/16506073.2016.1227360 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
“This might best be interpreted as an expected spontaneous remission in depression over time (Whiteford et al., 2013), which might also result in less anxiety symptoms.”
BackgroundAljeradat, B., Kumar, D., Abdulmuizz, S., Kundu, M., Almealawy, Y. F., Batarseh, D. R., Atallah, O., Ennabe, M., Alsarafandi, M., Alan, A., et al. (2024) · Pathophysiology · doi:10.3390/pathophysiology31020019 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
“Major depression is a frequent and difficult disorder that can have a significant impact on quality of life, everyday functioning, and, ultimately, life expectancy [170].”
Backgroundvan Dijk, D. A., Meijer, R. M., van den Boogaard, T. M., Spijker, J., Ruhé, H. G., & Peeters, F. P. M. L. (2022) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2022.11.011 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
Karyotaki, E., Smit, Y., Beurs, D. P. D., Henningsen, K. H., Robays, J., Huibers, M. J. H., Weitz, E. S., & Cuijpers, P. J. (2016) · Depression and Anxiety · doi:10.1002/da.22491 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
“This is in line with research findings suggesting that approximately half of the untreated patients who are diagnosed with major depression will experience spontaneous remission within a year.[80] The finding that studies required a diagnosis of major depression presented larger psychotherapy long-term differences com…”
ResultChrzan‐Dętkoś, M., Walczak‐Kozłowska, T., & Lipowska, M. (2021) · BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth · doi:10.1186/s12884-021-03544-8 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Duration of Initial Antidepressant Treatment and Subsequent Relapse of Major Depression
Baldessarini, R. J., Lau, W. K., Sim, J., Sum, M. Y., & Sim, K. (2015) · Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1097/jcp.0000000000000263 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
Spotlight on the Challenges of Depression following Retirement and Opportunities for Interventions
Dang, L., Ananthasubramaniam, A., & Mezuk, B. R. (2022) · Clinical Interventions in Aging · doi:10.2147/cia.s336301 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
“In addition, under-detection and lack of appropriate treatment can worsen depression in older adults by impairing psychosocial functioning (eg, social integration, engagement with meaningful activities).(22) Retirement can exacerbate depression risk factors by removing coping resources, introducing stressors, and limi…”
BackgroundMartínez‐Alés, G., Hernández‐Calle, D., Khauli, N., & Keyes, K. M. (2020) · Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · doi:10.1007/7854_2020_158 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
Maulik, P. K., Devarapalli, S., Kallakuri, S., Bhattacharya, A., Peiris, D., & Patel, A. A. (2019) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/15553 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
“Second, the changes in depression and anxiety scores should be interpreted in light of other work that suggests over a 1-year period 50% individuals with CMD could experience natural remission [26].”
Wolpert, M., Dalzell, K., Ullman, R., Garland, L., Cortina, M. A., Hayes, D., Patalay, P., & Law, D. (2018) · The Lancet Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s2215-0366(18)30465-6 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Effect of peer support intervention on perinatal depression: A meta-analysis
Fang, Q., Lü, L., Chen, Q., Yuan, Y., Wang, S., Zhang, Y., Liu, T., Cheng, H., & Tian, L. (2021) · General Hospital Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2021.12.001 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Hengartner, M. P. (2019) · BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine · doi:10.1136/bmjebm-2019-111161 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
“Yet, another metaanalysis confirmed that remission rates in untreated people with mostly moderate depression are surprisingly high: 23% remit within 3 months, 32% within 6 months and 53% within 12 months.(17) So now let us compare these remission rates in untreated people with those estimated for patients undergoing a…”
BackgroundResultSystematic review: Predicting adverse psychological outcomes after hand trauma
Ladds, E. C., Redgrave, N., Hotton, M., & Lamyman, M. J. (2017) · Journal of Hand Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.jht.2016.11.006 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Gaskell, C., Simmonds‐Buckley, M., Kellett, S., Stockton, C., Somerville, E., Rogerson, E., & Delgadillo, J. (2022) · Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research · doi:10.1007/s10488-022-01225-y · Cited by 45 · see citing works
“We are unable to rule out alternative explanations for observed effect sizes [placebo effects, spontaneous remission (Posternak & Miller, 2001; Whiteford et al., 2012)] and subsequently the observed effect sizes in this review cannot be directly compared to efficacy trials.”
Johansson, O., Bjärehed, J., Andersson, G., Carlbring, P., & Lundh, L. (2019) · Internet Interventions · doi:10.1016/j.invent.2019.100247 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Trajectories of maternal depression: a 27-year population-based prospective study
Najman, J. M., Plotnikova, M., Williams, G. M., Alati, R., Mamun, A. A., Scott, J. G., Wray, N. R., & Clavarino, A. M. (2016) · Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences · doi:10.1017/s2045796015001109 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
“Consistent with the very high burden of disease attributable to depression (Whiteford et al. 2013), one in every 6 days of the life of those in the high trajectory group is estimated to involve living with a depression which meets the DSM-IV clinical criteria.”
BackgroundO’Dea, B., Subotic-Kerry, M., KING, C. A., Mackinnon, A. J., Achilles, M. R., Anderson, M., Parker, B., Werner‐Seidler, A., Torok, M. H., Cockayne, N. L., et al. (2021) · The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific · doi:10.1016/j.lanwpc.2021.100178 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
Resilience as a Protective Factor for Depressive Mood and Anxiety among Korean Employees
Shin, Y. C., Kim, S. M., Kim, H., Min, K. J., Yoo, S.-K., Kim, E., & Jeon, S. W. (2019) · Journal of Korean Medical Science · doi:10.3346/jkms.2019.34.e188 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Behavioral activation versus physical activity via the internet: A randomized controlled trial
Nyström, M. B. T., Stenling, A., Sjöström, E., Neely, G., Lindner, P., Hassmén, P., Andersson, G., Martell, C. R., & Carlbring, P. (2017) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2017.03.018 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Narayan, G. A., Hill, K., Wengler, K., He, X., Wang, J.-Y., Yang, J., Parsey, R., & DeLorenzo, C. (2022) · Molecular Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/s41380-022-01730-4 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
“According to systematic reviews and metaanalyses, only about 40% of remission from MDD can be attributed to active treatment, with the remainder attributable to placebo effects and spontaneous improvement [61].”
BackgroundSelf-citationPsychotherapy with Psilocybin for Depression: Systematic Review
Dawood-Hristova, J. J., & Pérez‐Jover, V. (2023) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs13040297 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
“It has been predicted that 23% of patients with major depression will remit within 13 weeks without any treatment [3].”
BackgroundKhalid, A., Kim, B. S., Seo, B. A., Lee, S., Jung, K., Chu, K., Lee, S. K., & Jeon, D. (2016) · BMC Neuroscience · doi:10.1186/s12868-016-0239-x · Cited by 41 · see citing works
A randomized controlled trial of gaze‐contingent music reward therapy for major depressive disorder
Shamai‐Leshem, D., Lazarov, A., Pine, D. S., & Bar‐Haim, Y. (2020) · Depression and Anxiety · doi:10.1002/da.23089 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
“First, this may reflect spontaneous remission characterizing the natural course of depressive episodes (Whiteford et al., 2013).”
BackgroundAssociations between resilience and quality of life in patients experiencing a depressive episode
Pardeller, S., Kemmler, G., Hoertnagl, C. M., & Hofer, A. (2020) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113353 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
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“Prior literature suggests that with treatment, improvement in depression is likely associated with placebo and spontaneous recovery approximately half the time, while the rest may be attributable to active intervention 52,53 .”
Evaluation of randomized controlled trials: a primer and tutorial for mental health researchers
Harrer, M., Cuijpers, P. J., Schuurmans, L., Kaiser, T., Buntrock, C., van Straten, A., & Ebert, D. D. (2023) · Trials · doi:10.1186/s13063-023-07596-3 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
“For example, about one-third of untreated depression cases remit “spontaneously” within 6 months [49].”
BackgroundMidshaft clavicle fractures in adults.
Preston, C. F., & Egol, K. A. (2009) · PubMed · Cited by 37 · see citing works
The Relational Essence of Natural Recovery: Natural Recovery as Relational Practice
Mudry, T., Nepustil, P., & Ness, O. (2018) · International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction · doi:10.1007/s11469-018-0010-x · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Melkonian, M., McDonald, S., Scott, A. J., Karin, E., Dear, B. F., & Wootton, B. M. (2022) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2022.08.037 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Daniel, M., Maulik, P. K., Kallakuri, S., Kaur, A., Devarapalli, S., Mukherjee, A., Bhattacharya, A., Billot, L., Thornicroft, G., Praveen, D., et al. (2021) · Trials · doi:10.1186/s13063-021-05136-5 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
de la Torre‐Luque, A., de la Fuente, J., Niubo, A. S., Caballero, F. F., Prina, M. A., Terrera, G. M., Haro, J. M., & Ayuso‐Mateos, J. L. (2019) · Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica · doi:10.1111/acps.13107 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
“dysregulation in immunometabolic activity).(1, 2) It is estimated that 3%-16% of adults may experience a depression disorder episode in late life.”
BackgroundPetersen, I., Fairall, L. R., Zani, B., Bhana, A., Lombard, C. J., Folb, N., Selohilwe, O., Georgeu-Pepper, D., Petrus, R., Mntambo, N., et al. (2020) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.12.123 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Antenatal and postnatal depression – Are Polish midwives really ready for them?
Chrzan‐Dętkoś, M., & Walczak‐Kozłowska, T. (2020) · Midwifery · doi:10.1016/j.midw.2020.102646 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Research on humanistic-experiential psychotherapies : updated review
Elliott, R., Watson, J. C., Timulák, L., & Sharbanee, J. M. (2021) · Strathprints: The University of Strathclyde institutional repository (University of Strathclyde) · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Contextual effects: how to, and how not to, quantify them
Saueressig, T., Pedder, H., Owen, P. J., & Belavý, D. L. (2024) · BMC Medical Research Methodology · doi:10.1186/s12874-024-02152-2 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
“Non-specific effects are associated with the natural course of the disease, including natural fluctuations in disease severity [25], regression to the mean [26], measurement error [27], random error [27], spontaneous remission [28–33], and the Hawthorne effect [34].”
BackgroundMind the Psychedelic Hype: Characterizing the Risks and Benefits of Psychedelics for Depression
Meling, D., Ehrenkranz, R. C., Nayak, S. M., Aicher, H., Funk, X., van Elk, M., Graziosi, M., Bauer, P. R., Scheidegger, M., & Yaden, D. B. (2024) · Psychoactives · doi:10.3390/psychoactives3020014 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
A Novel Therapeutic Frame for Treating Depression in Group Treating Depression Downhill
Krupnik, V. (2014) · SAGE Open · doi:10.1177/2158244014523793 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
“Even untreated depressive episodes remit on average within 12 months (Furukawa, Kitamura, & Takahashi, 2000; Spijker et al., 2002; Whiteford et al., 2013).”
BackgroundHales, S. A., Simplicio, M. C. D., Iyadurai, L., Blackwell, S. E., Young, K., Fairburn, C. G., Geddes, J. R., Goodwin, G. M., & Holmes, E. A. (2018) · Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy · doi:10.1017/s1352465818000334 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
“BD accounts for up to 10% of the global health burden of mental health and substance misuse disorders (Whiteford et al., 2013), and has the highest risk of completed suicide amongst all psychiatric disorders (Hawton et al.”
BackgroundKahl, B. L., Miller, H. M., Cairns, K., Giniunas, H., & Nicholas, M. (2020) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/21280 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
“However, a meta-analysis that examined remission in untreated depression, defined as ‘clinically significant improvement’, found that 23% of adults remitted at 3 months, with a higher remission rate (not mentioned in the paper) observed in children and adolescents [60].”
Roxo, L., Silva, M., & Perelman, J. (2021) · Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2021.106847 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Five types of clinical difference to monitor in practice.
Langkaas, T. F., Wampold, B. E., & Hoffart, A. (2018) · Psychotherapy · doi:10.1037/pst0000194 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Nübel, J., Müllender, S., Hapke, U., & Jacobi, F. (2019) · Der Nervenarzt · doi:10.1007/s00115-019-0681-y · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Rothermund, E., Michaelis, M., Jarczok, M. N., Balint, E. M., Lange, R., Zipfel, S., Gündel, H., Rieger, M. A., & Junne, F. (2018) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph15020278 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
“Up to 50% of untreated common mental disorders can remit spontaneously within a year [7,8].”
BackgroundThe Hong Kong Survey on the Epidemiology of Trauma Exposure and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Wu, K. K., Leung, P. W. L., Wong, C. S. M., Yu, P. M. W., Luk, B. T. C., Cheng, J. P. K., Wong, R. M. F., Wong, P. P. S., Lui, J. C. C., Ngan, J. C. F., et al. (2019) · Journal of Traumatic Stress · doi:10.1002/jts.22430 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Scott, A. J., Bisby, M. A., Heriseanu, A. I., Hathway, T., Karin, E., Gandy, M., Dudeney, J. E., Staples, L., Titov, N., & Dear, B. F. (2022) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2022.102590 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
History repeating: A roadmap to address common problems in psychedelic sciencePreprint
van Elk, M., & Fried, E. I. (2023) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/ak6gx · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Bassilios, B., Telford, N. R., Rickwood, D., Spittal, M. J., & Pirkis, J. (2017) · International Journal of Mental Health Systems · doi:10.1186/s13033-017-0125-7 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
“Finally, because we used routinely collected data and both programs were available across the nation, it was not feasible or ethical to include a control group and therefore we cannot discount the possibility that symptom improvement might have occurred in the absence of treatment [36].”
Method
- Authors
- Whiteford, H. A., Harris, M. G., McKeon, G., Baxter, A., Pennell, C., Barendregt, J. J., & Wang, J.
- Affiliations
- The University of Queensland (AU)
- Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research (AU)
- University of Calgary (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Whiteford, H. A.
- Venue
- Psychological Medicine
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2012-08-10
- Volume
- 43
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 1569-1585
- ISSN
- 0033-2917 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-8978
- OpenAlex
- W2039156670
- Cited by
- 375
- References
- 72
- Citations by year
- 2026: 19 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 57 · 2023: 43 · 2022: 32 · 2021: 39 · 2020: 33 · 2019: 32 · 2018: 24 · 2017: 21 · 2016: 18 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 1.36
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- University of Queensland
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- major depressive disorder, spontaneous regression, untreated depression, remission rate, disorder severity, primary care, child and adolescent depression, treatment coverage
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Child, Major Depressive Disorder, Humans, Remission, Spontaneous
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Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
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