A large study looked at whether using both therapy and medication together works better than just medication for treating depression and anxiety. It analyzed 52 smaller studies involving over 3,600 adults (1). 

1. Better Results Together
   Using therapy and medication together leads to bigger improvements compared to medication alone. About 1 in 4 people get significant extra benefits from this combined approach.
2. Works Best for Certain Conditions
   This combination is especially helpful for:

• Major Depression
• Panic Disorder
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Lasting Benefits
People who used both therapy and medication continued to feel better for up to two years after treatment, with a lower chance of their symptoms coming back.

Each Adds Value
Therapy and medication each play an important role. Together, they provide stronger support for mental health recovery than either approach alone.

Takeaway for people with depression, panic disorder, or OCD, combining therapy and medication is a powerful way to feel better, stay better, and reduce the chance of relapse. It highlights how important it is to take a well-rounded approach to mental health care.

Guideline Recommendations for Combination Treatment of Depression (2):

Organization	Source	Summary of Guideline Recommendations
American Psychiatric Association	American Psychiatric Association	Combination treatment is recommended for patients with severe major depressive disorder, and it may be used for patients with mild to moderate depression severity and psychosocial or interpersonal problems, a personality disorder, or intrapsychic conflict. Psychotherapy and antidepressant medication may be used as an initial treatment for patients with moderate to severe major depressive disorder. In addition, combining psychotherapy and medication may be a useful initial treatment even in milder cases for patients with psychosocial or interpersonal problems, intrapsychic conflict, or co-occurring axis II disorder.
British Association for Psychopharmacology	Cleare et al.	Combination of psychological treatment and antidepressant medication may be superior to psychotherapy alone when treating moderate-to-severe major depressive disorder. Combination treatment is more effective than antidepressant treatment alone, most likely on the basis of greater effects among patients with at least moderate depression severity.
Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments	Parikh et al.	Combination treatment is superior to either modality alone, with the greatest support for use in special populations, such as elderly patients or women. Sequential addition of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or interpersonal therapy for patients with partial response to antidepressant medication should be considered. Discontinuing an antidepressant with crossover to CBT, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, or interpersonal therapy provides relapse prevention that is generally comparable with that achieved with maintenance antidepressant medication.
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence	National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence	A combination of pharmacotherapy and high-intensity psychotherapy (interpersonal therapy, CBT) should be provided for patients with moderate-to-severe depression.
Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense	Management of MDD Working Group	Combination treatment of antidepressant medication and psychotherapy should be used for moderate-to-severe major depressive disorder or as a potential strategy for treating patients who have had partial or nonresponse to monotherapy. Chronic patients can be considered for combination treatment regardless of severity level.
World Federation of Societies for Biological Psychiatry	Bauer et al.	Psychotherapy is recommended in combination with antidepressants for patients with moderate to severe depression and for patients who have had only partial response to antidepressant medications or who have had problems with adherence to antidepressant medications.

References: 
(1)Cuijpers P. et al  (2014), Adding psychotherapy to antidepressant medication in depression and anxiety disorders: a meta-analysis. World Psychiatry. 2014 Feb 4;13(1):56–67.  doi: 10.1002/wps.20089 
(2) Dunlop BW. Evidence-Based Applications of Combination Psychotherapy and Pharmacotherapy for Depression. Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ). 2016 Apr;14(2):156-173. doi: 10.1176/appi.focus.20150042. Epub 2016 Apr 7. PMID: 31975799; PMCID: PMC6519650.