Patients recovering from depression with talk therapy show a ‘distinct’ pattern of brain changes: “An imaging study by neuroscientists in Canada has found that patients who recover from depression with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) show a pattern of brain changes that is distinct from patients who recover with drug therapy.

It’s an important finding because it shows — for the first time with definitive imaging evidence — that the depressed brain responds ‘differently’ to different treatments. It may also help doctors better understand why a particular treatment might work for one patient and not another.” —EurekAlerts! I have a problem with framing the talking cure and medication treatment of depression as separate but equal treatments. I have often said to my patients that medication is like a bicycle; it will get you somewhere you need to go, but you still need to do the pedaling. It is just a very efficient way to use your energy. In contrast, therapy is like learning how to ride, how to plan where you want to go, how to navigate, obey the rules of the road and learn how to keep your injuries minimal if you ever fall… to push the metaphor. Of course, brainscan patterns of beneficiaries of the two treatments would show they affect different parts of the brain!