The sooner, the better: Temporal patterns in brief treatment of depression and their role in long-term outcome

Eva Gilboa-Schechtman, Golan Shahar

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

To examine whether temporal patterns of change in brief treatment for depression are predictive of outcome at 18 months posttreatment, the authors used data from the National Institute of Mental Health-sponsored Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program. In accordance with their hypotheses, they found that (a) individuals whose level of distress does not decrease between intake and Week 4 of therapy (slow remoralizers) exhibited a more severe symptom pattern at follow-up assessments than those exhibiting immediate relief (rapid remoralizers); (b) rate of symptom reduction during treatment is predictive of 12- and 18-month outcomes beyond initial symptom severity; and (c) rate of symptom reduction is more predictive of 12- and 18 month outcomes in psychotherapy than in nonpsychological treatments. Findings encourage further research and clinical attention to temporal patterns of response in brief treatments of depression.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)374-384
Number of pages11
JournalPsychotherapy Research
Volume16
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 May 2006

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Clinical Psychology

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