The role of empathy in antidepressant withdrawal.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Many antidepressant users experience the process of stopping as challenging because of withdrawal symptoms. Support factors, such as patients experiencing empathy from their healthcare providers, potentially contribute to successful discontinuation.

Objectives

To examine the relation between experienced empathy and successful antidepressant discontinuation.

Design

Part of a larger prospective cohort study in major depressive disorder patients using sertraline or citalopram recruited through university medical centres and connected general practitioners, pharmacies and mental health institutions. The larger study aimed to identify factors associated with remission and patients' experiences with discontinuing antidepressants.

Method

Patients were follo

SUBMITTER: van Schie J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12647550 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature