Psychotherapy for Chronic Depression in Patients with Early Life Trauma

These patients had better outcomes with psychotherapy (with or without medication) than with medication alone.

Because psychotherapy is more costly in time and money than psychopharmacologic intervention for treatment of chronic major depressive disorder (MDD), identifying which MDD patients will do better with psychotherapy is an important public health challenge. In a partially manufacturer-sponsored study, investigators examined this issue by reanalyzing data from a trial involving 681 adults with MDD (age range, 18-75) who had been randomized to receive 12 weeks of nefazodone therapy, psychotherapy based on a cognitive-behavioral model, or a combination of the 2 treatments (see Journal Watch Psychiatry Jul 1 2000). Data were analyzed by whether subjects had experienced early childhood trauma; 33% had experienced parental loss; 45%, physical abus…

Reviewing Author

Barbara Geller, MD