[runarberg]

Don’t discount the successes of a short term efficacy. Depression is a deadly disease. Sometimes a short term efficacy can be the different between life and death.

Usually depression is treated with a mix of drugs—such as SSRIs—and psychotherapy. I think health officials are completely aware of the long term effects, and that is why the treatment is most often multi-faceted.

[starkd]

No doubt they can be useful. Unfortunately, I don't have as much confidence as you in our health officials. It seems to resort to the lowest common denominator in recommending treatments. Psychotherapy is complex and it's hard to find a "good" counselor without multiple appointments to find one. It is highly personal treatment that is under the control of a highly unpersonal bureaucracy.