A comparison of prolonged exposure therapy, pharmacotherapy, and their combination for PTSD: What works best and for whom; study protocol for a randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Several efficacious psychological and pharmacological treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are available; however, the comparative effectiveness of these treatments represents a major gap in the literature. The proposed study will compare the effectiveness of two leading PTSD treatments - Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy and pharmacotherapy with paroxetine or venlafaxine extended release - as well as the combination of PE and medication. METHODS: In a randomized clinical trial, veterans with PTSD (N = 450) recruited across six Veterans Affairs Medical Centers will complete assessments at baseline, mid-treatment (Week 7), post-treatment (Week 14), and follow-up (Weeks 27 and 40). The primary outcome will be change in (both clinician-rated and self-reported) PTSD severity. Depression symptoms, quality of life, and functioning will also be measured and examined as secondary outcomes. Baseline demographic and clinical data will be used to develop "personalized advantage indices" (PAIs), with the goal of identifying who is most likely to benefit from which treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This planned trial will yield findings to directly inform clinical practice guidelines for PTSD, by providing comparative effectiveness data to support recommendations about what can be considered the "first-line" treatment option(s) for PTSD. Further, findings from this trial have the potential to guide treatment planning for individual patients, through implementation of PAIs developed from study data, in service of "personalized medicine." TRIAL REGISTRATION: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04961190.

The efficacy of antidepressant medication and interpersonal psychotherapy for adult acute-phase depression: study protocol of a systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data.

BACKGROUND: Antidepressant medication and interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) are both recommended interventions in depression treatment guidelines based on literature reviews and meta-analyses. However, 'conventional' meta-analyses comparing their efficacy are limited by their reliance on reported study-level information and a narrow focus on depression outcome measures assessed at treatment completion. Individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis, considered the gold standard in evidence synthesis, can improve the quality of the analyses when compared with conventional meta-analysis. AIMS: We describe the protocol for a systematic review and IPD meta-analysis comparing the efficacy of antidepressants and IPT for adult acute-phase depression across a range of outcome measures, including depressive symptom severity as well as functioning and well-being, at both post-treatment and follow-up (PROSPERO: CRD42020219891). METHOD: We will conduct a systematic literature search in PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase and the Cochrane Library to identify randomised clinical trials comparing antidepressants and IPT in the acute-phase treatment of adults with depression. We will invite the authors of these studies to share the participant-level data of their trials. One-stage IPD meta-analyses will be conducted using mixed-effects models to assess treatment effects at post-treatment and follow-up for all outcome measures that are assessed in at least two studies. CONCLUSIONS: This will be the first IPD meta-analysis examining antidepressants versus IPT efficacy. This study has the potential to enhance our knowledge of depression treatment by comparing the short- and long-term effects of two widely used interventions across a range of outcome measures using state-of-the-art statistical techniques.

The symptom-specific efficacy of antidepressant medication vs. cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of depression: results from an individual patient data meta-analysis.

A recent individual patient data meta-analysis showed that antidepressant medication is slightly more efficacious than cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in reducing overall depression severity in patients with a DSM-defined depressive disorder. We used an update of that dataset, based on seventeen randomized clinical trials, to examine the comparative efficacy of antidepressant medication vs. CBT in more detail by focusing on individual depressive symptoms as assessed with the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. Five symptoms (i.e., "depressed mood" , "feelings of guilt" , "suicidal thoughts" , "psychic anxiety" and "general somatic symptoms") showed larger improvements in the medication compared to the CBT condition (effect sizes ranging from .13 to .16), whereas no differences were found for the twelve other symptoms. In addition, network estimation techniques revealed that all effects, except that on "depressed mood" , were direct and could not be explained by any of the other direct or indirect treatment effects. Exploratory analyses showed that information about the symptom-specific efficacy could help in identifying those patients who, based on their pre-treatment symptomatology, are likely to benefit more from antidepressant medication than from CBT (effect size of .30) versus those for whom both treatments are likely to be equally efficacious. Overall, our symptom-oriented approach results in a more thorough evaluation of the efficacy of antidepressant medication over CBT and shows potential in "precision psychiatry" .

Cognitive-Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy, Drug, or Their Combination for Persistent Depressive Disorder: Personalizing the Treatment Choice Using Individual Participant Data Network Metaregression.

BACKGROUND: Persistent depressive disorder is prevalent, disabling, and often difficult to treat. The cognitive-behavioral analysis system of psychotherapy (CBASP) is the only psychotherapy specifically developed for its treatment. However, we do not know which of CBASP, antidepressant pharmacotherapy, or their combination is the most efficacious and for which types of patients. This study aims to present personalized prediction models to facilitate shared decision-making in treatment choices to match patients' characteristics and preferences based on individual participant data network metaregression. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive search for randomized controlled trials comparing any two of CBASP, pharmacotherapy, or their combination and sought individual participant data from identified trials. The primary outcomes were reduction in depressive symptom severity for efficacy and dropouts due to any reason for treatment acceptability. RESULTS: All 3 identified studies (1,036 participants) were included in the present analyses. On average, the combination therapy showed significant superiority over both monotherapies in terms of efficacy and acceptability, while the latter 2 treatments showed essentially similar results. Baseline depression, anxiety, prior pharmacotherapy, age, and depression subtypes moderated their relative efficacy, which indicated that for certain subgroups of patients either drug therapy or CBASP alone was a recommendable treatment option that is less costly, may have fewer adverse effects and match an individual patient's preferences. An interactive web app (https://kokoro.med.kyoto-u.ac.jp/CBASP/prediction/) shows the predicted disease course for all possible combinations of patient characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Individual participant data network metaregression enables treatment recommendations based on individual patient characteristics.

Which patients benefit specifically from short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy (STPP) for depression? Study protocol of a systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data.

INTRODUCTION: Short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy (STPP) is an empirically supported treatment that is often used to treat depression. However, it is largely unclear if certain subgroups of depressed patients can benefit specifically from this treatment method. We describe the protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data (IPD) aimed at identifying predictors and moderators of STPP for depression efficacy. METHOD AND ANALYSIS: We will conduct a systematic literature search in multiple bibliographic databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase.com, Web of Science and Cochrane's Central Register of Controlled Trials), 'grey literature' databases (GLIN and UMI ProQuest) and a prospective trial register (http://www.controlled-trials.com). We will include studies reporting (a) outcomes on standardised measures of (b) depressed (c) adult patients (d) receiving STPP. We will next invite the authors of these studies to share the participant-level data of their trials and combine these data to conduct IPD meta-analyses. The primary outcome for this study is post-treatment efficacy as assessed by a continuous depression measure. Potential predictors and moderators include all sociodemographic variables, clinical variables and psychological patient characteristics that are measured before the start of treatment and are assessed consistently across studies. One-stage IPD meta-analyses will be conducted using mixed-effects models. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Institutional review board approval is not required for this study. We intend to submit reports of the outcomes of this study for publication to international peer-reviewed journals in the fields of psychiatry or clinical psychology. We also intend to present the outcomes at international scientific conferences aimed at psychotherapy researchers and clinicians. The findings of this study can have important clinical implications, as they can inform expectations of STPP efficacy for individual patients, and help to make an informed choice concerning the best treatment option for a given patient. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42017056029.

The effects of psychotherapy for depression on anxiety symptoms: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: More than half of patients who present with depressive disorders also have elevated comorbid anxiety symptoms. Given the high comorbidity between these disorders, it is important to understand the extent that psychotherapies for depression additionally ameliorate symptoms of anxiety. METHODS: Systematic searches were conducted in PubMed, PSYCinfo, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Registry of Controlled Trials. Included studies were randomized controlled trials that compared psychotherapy compared with a control condition for the treatment of adults with a primary diagnosis or elevated symptoms of depression and that examined the effects of treatment on anxiety outcomes. Acute phase depression and anxiety (continuous measure) outcomes were extracted. Effect sizes were calculated by subtracting the average post-treatment scores of the psychotherapy group from the average post-treatment scores of the comparison group divided by the pooled standard deviation. RESULTS: Fifty-two studies of varying quality met the inclusion criteria. Pooled effect sizes showed that anxiety outcomes were significantly lower in the psychotherapy conditions than in control conditions at post-treatment [g = 0.52; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.44-0.60; NNT (numbers-needed-to-treat) = 3.50]. Moderate heterogeneity was observed (I2 = 55%, 95% CI 40-66). Bivariate metaregression analysis revealed a significant association between depression and anxiety effect sizes at post-treatment Longer-term follow-ups of up to 14 months post-baseline showed indications for a small lasting effect of psychotherapy on anxiety outcomes (g = 0.27). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis provides evidence that psychotherapy aimed at depression can also reduce anxiety symptoms in relation to control conditions.

Strengthening mental health care systems for Syrian refugees in Europe and the Middle East: integrating scalable psychological interventions in eight countries.

The crisis in Syria has resulted in vast numbers of refugees seeking asylum in Syria's neighbouring countries as well as in Europe. Refugees are at considerable risk of developing common mental disorders, including depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Most refugees do not have access to mental health services for these problems because of multiple barriers in national and refugee specific health systems, including limited availability of mental health professionals. To counter some of challenges arising from limited mental health system capacity the World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a range of scalable psychological interventions aimed at reducing psychological distress and improving functioning in people living in communities affected by adversity. These interventions, including Problem Management Plus (PM+) and its variants, are intended to be delivered through individual or group face-to-face or smartphone formats by lay, non-professional people who have not received specialized mental health training, We provide an evidence-based rationale for the use of the scalable PM+ oriented programmes being adapted for Syrian refugees and provide information on the newly launched STRENGTHS programme for adapting, testing and scaling up of PM+ in various modalities in both neighbouring and European countries hosting Syrian refugees.

La crisis en Siria ha dado lugar a un gran número de refugiados que buscan asilo en países vecinos a Siria, así como en Europa. Los refugiados corren un riesgo considerable de desarrollar trastornos mentales comunes, como depresión, ansiedad y trastorno por estrés postraumático (TEPT). La mayoría de los refugiados no tienen acceso a servicios de salud mental para estos problemas debido a las múltiples barreras existentes en los sistemas de salud nacionales y específicos para refugiados, incluida una limitada disponibilidad de profesionales de salud mental. Para contrarrestar algunos de los retos derivados de la limitada capacidad del sistema de salud mental, la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) ha desarrollado una gama de intervenciones psicológicas escalables dirigidas a reducir la angustia psicológica y mejorar el funcionamiento de las personas afectadas por la adversidad. Estas intervenciones, que incluyen Problem Management Plus (Gestión de problemas plus, PM+) y sus variantes, están pensadas para ser aplicadas en formatos cara a cara o mediante teléfonos inteligentes a individuos o grupos por personas no profesionales que no han recibido formación especializada en salud mental,Proporcionamos una justificación basada en la evidencia para el uso de programas escalables orientados a la PM+ que están siendo adaptados para refugiados sirios y proporcionamos información sobre el programa STRENGTHS recientemente lanzado para adaptar, probar y ampliar la PM+ en diversas modalidades, tanto en los países vecinos como en los europeos que reciben refugiados de Siria.

Individual patient data meta-analysis of combined treatments versus psychotherapy (with or without pill placebo), pharmacotherapy or pill placebo for adult depression: a protocol.

INTRODUCTION: There are many proven treatments (psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy or their combination) for the treatment of depression. Although there is growing evidence for the effectiveness of combination treatment (psychotherapy + pharmacotherapy) over pharmacotherapy alone, psychotherapy alone or psychotherapy plus pill placebo, for depression, little is known about which specific groups of patients may respond best to combined treatment versus monotherapy. Conventional meta-analyses techniques have limitations when tasked with examining whether specific individual characteristics moderate the effect of treatment on depression. Therefore, this protocol outlines an individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis to explore which patients, with which clinical characteristics, have better outcomes in combined treatment compared with psychotherapy (alone or with pill placebo), pharmacotherapy and pill placebo. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Study searches are completed using an established database of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) on the psychological treatment of adult depression that has previously been reported. Searches were conducted in PubMed, PsycInfo, Embase and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. RCTs comparing combination treatment (psychotherapy + pharmacotherapy) with psychotherapy (with or without pill placebo), pharmacotherapy or pill placebo for the treatment of adult depression will be included. Study authors of eligible trials will be contacted and asked to contribute IPD. Conventional meta-analysis techniques will be used to examine differences between studies that have contributed data and those that did not. Then, IPD will be harmonised and analysis using multilevel regression will be conducted to examine effect moderators of treatment outcomes. DISSEMINATION: Study results outlined above will be published in peer-reviewed journals. Study results will contribute to better understanding whether certain patients respond best to combined treatment or other depression treatments and provide new information on moderators of treatment outcome that can be used by patients, clinicians and researchers. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42016039028.

Initial severity of depression and efficacy of cognitive-behavioural therapy: individual-participant data meta-analysis of pill-placebo-controlled trials.

BackgroundThe influence of baseline severity has been examined for antidepressant medications but has not been studied properly for cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) in comparison with pill placebo.AimsTo synthesise evidence regarding the influence of initial severity on efficacy of CBT from all randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in which CBT, in face-to-face individual or group format, was compared with pill-placebo control in adults with major depression.MethodA systematic review and an individual-participant data meta-analysis using mixed models that included trial effects as random effects. We used multiple imputation to handle missing data.ResultsWe identified five RCTs, and we were given access to individual-level data (n = 509) for all five. The analyses revealed that the difference in changes in Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression between CBT and pill placebo was not influenced by baseline severity (interaction P = 0.43). Removing the non-significant interaction term from the model, the difference between CBT and pill placebo was a standardised mean difference of -0.22 (95% CI -0.42 to -0.02, P = 0.03, I2 = 0%).ConclusionsPatients suffering from major depression can expect as much benefit from CBT across the wide range of baseline severity. This finding can help inform individualised treatment decisions by patients and their clinicians.

Melancholic and atypical depression as predictor and moderator of outcome in cognitive behavior therapy and pharmacotherapy for adult depression.

BACKGROUND: Melancholic and atypical depression are widely thought to moderate or predict outcome of pharmacological and psychological treatments of adult depression, but that has not yet been established. This study uses the data from four earlier trials comparing cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) versus antidepressant medications (ADMs; and pill placebo when available) to examine the extent to which melancholic and atypical depression moderate or predict outcome in an "individual patient data" meta-analysis. METHODS: We conducted a systematic search for studies directly comparing CBT versus ADM, contacted the researchers, integrated the resulting datasets from these studies into one big dataset, and selected the studies that included melancholic or atypical depressive subtyping according to DSM-IV criteria at baseline (n = 4, with 805 patients). After multiple imputation of missing data at posttest, mixed models were used to conduct the main analyses. RESULTS: In none of the analyses was melancholic or atypical depression found to significantly moderate outcome (indicating a better or worse outcome of these patients in CBT compared to ADM; i.e., an interaction), predict outcome independent of treatment group (i.e., a main effect), or predict outcome within a given modality. The outcome differences between patients with melancholia or atypical depression versus those without were consistently very small (all effect sizes g < 0.10). CONCLUSIONS: We found no indication that melancholic or atypical depressions are significant or relevant moderators or predictors of outcome of CBT and ADM.

Cognitive-Behavioural Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP), a drug, or their combination: differential therapeutics for persistent depressive disorder: a study protocol of an individual participant data network meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Despite important advances in psychological and pharmacological treatments of persistent depressive disorders in the past decades, their responses remain typically slow and poor, and differential responses among different modalities of treatments or their combinations are not well understood. Cognitive-Behavioural Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP) is the only psychotherapy that has been specifically designed for chronic depression and has been examined in an increasing number of trials against medications, alone or in combination. When several treatment alternatives are available for a certain condition, network meta-analysis (NMA) provides a powerful tool to examine their relative efficacy by combining all direct and indirect comparisons. Individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis enables exploration of impacts of individual characteristics that lead to a differentiated approach matching treatments to specific subgroups of patients. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will search for all randomised controlled trials that compared CBASP, pharmacotherapy or their combination, in the treatment of patients with persistent depressive disorder, in Cochrane CENTRAL, PUBMED, SCOPUS and PsycINFO, supplemented by personal contacts. Individual participant data will be sought from the principal investigators of all the identified trials. Our primary outcomes are depression severity as measured on a continuous observer-rated scale for depression, and dropouts for any reason as a proxy measure of overall treatment acceptability. We will conduct a one-step IPD-NMA to compare CBASP, medications and their combinations, and also carry out a meta-regression to identify their prognostic factors and effect moderators. The model will be fitted in OpenBUGS, using vague priors for all location parameters. For the heterogeneity we will use a half-normal prior on the SD. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study requires no ethical approval. We will publish the findings in a peer-reviewed journal. The study results will contribute to more finely differentiated therapeutics for patients suffering from this chronically disabling disorder. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42016035886.

THE LONG-TERM EFFICACY OF ACUTE-PHASE PSYCHOTHERAPY FOR DEPRESSION: A META-ANALYSIS OF RANDOMIZED TRIALS.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the effectiveness of treatment for depression in both the short term and long term is essential for clinical decision making. The present meta-analysis examined treatment effects on depression and quality of life in acute-phase psychotherapeutic interventions compared to no treatment control groups for adult depression at 6 months or longer postrandomization. METHODS: A systematic literature search resulted in 44 randomized controlled trials with 6,096 participants. Acute-phase psychotherapy was compared to control groups at 6-month or longer postrandomization. Odds ratios of a positive outcome were calculated. RESULTS: Psychotherapy outperformed control groups at 6 months or longer postrandomization (OR = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.60-2.31, P < .001). Heterogeneity was moderate (I²: 65, 95% CI: 53-74, P < .001). However, effects significantly decreased with longer follow-up periods. Additionally, a small positive effect of psychotherapy was observed for quality of life, while similar effects were obtained in separate analyses of each type of psychotherapy, with the exception of nondirective supportive therapy. Studies that provided booster sessions had better treatment results compared with studies that did not provide any further sessions. Finally, we found that trials on psychotherapy aimed at major depressive disorder (MDD) had better outcomes than those that were aimed at elevated depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: There is substantial evidence that acute-phase psychotherapy results in a better treatment effects on depression and quality of life in the long term for adult patients with depression.

Divergent Outcomes in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Pharmacotherapy for Adult Depression.

OBJECTIVE: Although the average depressed patient benefits moderately from cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or pharmacotherapy, some experience divergent outcomes. The authors tested frequencies, predictors, and moderators of negative and unusually positive outcomes. METHOD: Sixteen randomized clinical trials comparing CBT and pharmacotherapy for unipolar depression in 1,700 patients provided individual pre- and posttreatment scores on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) and/or Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The authors examined demographic and clinical predictors and treatment moderators of any deterioration (increase ≥1 HAM-D or BDI point), reliable deterioration (increase ≥8 HAM-D or ≥9 BDI points), extreme nonresponse (posttreatment HAM-D score ≥21 or BDI score ≥31), superior improvement (HAM-D or BDI decrease ≥95%), and superior response (posttreatment HAM-D or BDI score of 0) using multilevel models. RESULTS: About 5%-7% of patients showed any deterioration, 1% reliable deterioration, 4%-5% extreme nonresponse, 6%-10% superior improvement, and 4%-5% superior response. Superior improvement on the HAM-D only (odds ratio=1.67) and attrition (odds ratio=1.67) were more frequent in pharmacotherapy than in CBT. Patients with deterioration or superior response had lower pretreatment symptom levels, whereas patients with extreme nonresponse or superior improvement had higher levels. CONCLUSIONS: Deterioration and extreme nonresponse and, similarly, superior improvement and superior response, both occur infrequently in randomized clinical trials comparing CBT and pharmacotherapy for depression. Pretreatment symptom levels help forecast negative and unusually positive outcomes but do not guide selection of CBT versus pharmacotherapy. Pharmacotherapy may produce clinician-rated superior improvement and attrition more frequently than does CBT.

Baseline Depression Severity as Moderator of Depression Outcomes Between Cognitive Behavioral Therapy vs Pharmacotherapy: An Individual Patient Data Meta-analysis.

IMPORTANCE: Current guidelines recommend treating severe depression with pharmacotherapy. Randomized clinical trials as well as traditional meta-analyses have considerable limitations in testing for moderators of treatment outcomes. OBJECTIVES: To conduct a systematic literature search, collect primary data from trials, and analyze baseline depression severity as a moderator of treatment outcomes between cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and antidepressant medication (ADM). DATA SOURCES: A total of 14 902 abstracts were examined from a comprehensive literature search in PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and Cochrane Registry of Controlled Trials from 1966 to January 1, 2014. STUDY SELECTION: Randomized clinical trials in which CBT and ADM were compared in patients with a DSM-defined depressive disorder were included. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Study authors were asked to provide primary data from their trial. Primary data from 16 of 24 identified trials (67%), with 1700 outpatients (794 from the CBT condition and 906 from the ADM condition), were included. Missing data were imputed with multiple imputation methods. Mixed-effects models adjusting for study-level differences were used to examine baseline depression severity as a moderator of treatment outcomes. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Seventeen-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). RESULTS: There was a main effect of ADM over CBT on the HAM-D (ß = -0.88; P = .03) and a nonsignificant trend on the BDI (ß = -1.14; P = .08, statistical test for trend), but no significant differences in response (odds ratio [OR], 1.24; P = .12) or remission (OR, 1.18; P = .22). Mixed-effects models using the HAM-D indicated that baseline depression severity does not moderate reductions in depressive symptoms between CBT and ADM at outcome (ß = 0.00; P = .96). Similar results were seen using the BDI. Baseline depression severity also did not moderate the likelihood of response (OR, 0.99; P = .77) or remission (OR, 1.00; P = .93) between CBT and ADM. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Baseline depression severity did not moderate differences between CBT and ADM on the HAM-D or BDI or in response or remission. This finding cannot be extrapolated to other psychotherapies, to individual ADMs, or to inpatients. However, it offers new and substantial evidence that is of relevance to researchers, physicians and therapists, and patients.

The effects of psychological treatment of maternal depression on children and parental functioning: a meta-analysis.

Successful treatment of parental depression may have a positive effect on the functioning and psychopathology of their children. We conducted a meta-analysis to examine the effects of psychotherapy for depressed mothers on their children and parental functioning. We used a database of randomized controlled trials examining the effects of psychotherapy for adult depression and selected trials comparing psychotherapy and control conditions in depressed mothers and reporting outcomes in their children and parental functioning. Nine studies were included. The quality of these studies was not optimal and the outcome instruments differed considerably from each other. The therapies resulted in significantly decreased levels of depression (g = 0.66) in the mothers. In the seven studies that reported outcomes on the mental health of children, a significant effect size was also found (g = 0.40). The eight studies examining mother-child interactions resulted in a significant effect size of g = 0.35, and the five studies examining parenting/marital distress had a pooled effect size of g = 0.67. We found that psychotherapy leads to decreased levels of depression in depressed mothers and also found indications that psychotherapy may have a positive effect on the mental health of their children and parenting/marital distress. However, more high-quality research is needed before a definite answer can be given.

Gender as predictor and moderator of outcome in cognitive behavior therapy and pharmacotherapy for adult depression: an "individual patient data" meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: It has yet to be established whether gender moderates or predicts outcome of psychological and pharmacological treatments for adult depression because: (1) individual randomized trials typically lack sufficient statistical power to detect moderators and predictors and (2) meta-analyses cannot examine such associations directly. METHODS: We conducted an "individual patient data" meta-analysis with the primary data of 1,766 patients from 14 eligible randomized trials comparing cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) with pharmacotherapy. Five studies also compared CBT and pharmacotherapy with pill placebo. We examined the extent to which gender moderates or predicts outcome, using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression-17-item (HAM-D-17), with mixed effects models. RESULTS: Despite the high statistical power, we did not find any indication (P > 0.05) that gender moderates outcome (i.e., no indication that either men or women respond better or worse to CBT than to pharmacotherapy or vice versa). Gender was neither a nonspecific predictor (indicating whether gender is related to improvement, regardless of comparison or control groups), nor a specific predictor (predicting outcome of CBT and pharmacotherapy compared to pill placebo). The average differences between men and women within three conditions (CBT, pharmacotherapy, and pill placebo) were less than one point on the HAM-D-17. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of predictive relations in a this good sized sample suggests that gender does not moderate differential response to CBT versus medication treatment and that it neither predicts nonspecific response across the treatments nor the specificity of response for either treatment with respect to pill placebo.

Do depression treatments reduce suicidal ideation? The effects of CBT, IPT, pharmacotherapy, and placebo on suicidality.

BACKGROUND: Many well-researched treatments for depression exist. However, there is not yet enough evidence on whether these therapies, designed for the treatment of depression, are also effective for reducing suicidal ideation. This research provides valuable information for researchers, clinicians, and suicide prevention policy makers. METHODS: Analysis was conducted on the Treatment for Depression Research Collaborative (TDCRP) sample, which included CBT, IPT, medication, and placebo treatment groups. Participants were included in the analysis if they reported suicidal ideation on the HRSD or BDI (score of ≥1). RESULTS: Multivariate linear regression indicated that both IPT (b=.41, p<.05) and medication (b =.47, p<.05) yielded a significant reduction in suicide symptoms compared to placebo on the HRSD. Multivariate linear regression indicated that after adjustment for change in depression these treatment effects were no longer significant. Moderate Cohen׳s d effect sizes from baseline to post-test differences in suicide score by treatment group are reported. LIMITATIONS: These analyses were completed on a single suicide item from each of the measures. Moreover, the TDCRP excluded participants with moderate to severe suicidal ideation. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the specific effectiveness of IPT and medications in reducing suicidal ideation (relative to placebo), albeit largely as a consequence of their more general effects on depression. This adds to the growing body of evidence that depression treatments, specifically IPT and medication, can also reduce suicidal ideation and serves to further our understanding of the complex relationship between depression and suicide.

The effects of psychotherapies for major depression in adults on remission, recovery and improvement: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Standardised effect sizes have been criticized because they are difficult to interpret and offer little clinical information. This meta-analyses examine the extent of actual improvement, the absolute numbers of patients no longer meeting criteria for major depression, and absolute rates of response and remission. METHODS: We conducted a meta-analysis of 92 studies with 181 conditions (134 psychotherapy and 47 control conditions) with 6937 patients meeting criteria for major depressive disorder. Within these conditions, we calculated the absolute number of patients no longer meeting criteria for major depression, rates of response and remission, and the absolute reduction on the BDI, BDI-II, and HAM-D. RESULTS: After treatment, 62% of patients no longer met criteria for MDD in the psychotherapy conditions. However, 43% of participants in the control conditions and 48% of people in the care-as-usual conditions no longer met criteria for MDD, suggesting that the additional value of psychotherapy compared to care-as-usual would be 14%. For response and remission, comparable results were found, with less than half of the patients meeting criteria for response and remission after psychotherapy. Additionally, a considerable proportion of response and remission was also found in control conditions. In the psychotherapy conditions, scores on the BDI were reduced by 13.42 points, 15.12 points on the BDI-II, and 10.28 points on the HAM-D. In the control conditions, these reductions were 4.56, 4.68, and 5.29. DISCUSSION: Psychotherapy contributes to improvement in depressed patients, but improvement in control conditions is also considerable.