What we know, what we do not know, and where are we heading? Efficacy and acceptability of psychological interventions for depression.

Overview

In the past several decades, increasing evidence supports the efficacy of psychotherapies for depression. The vast majority of findings from meta-analyses, randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and naturalistic studies have demonstrated that well-established psychotherapies (behavioural activation, problem-solving therapy, psychodynamic therapy, cognitive-behavioural therapy, interpersonal therapy and emotion-focused therapy) are superior to no-treatment and control conditions, and are in most cases equally effective in treating depression. However, despite this abundant support for psychotherapies, studies have also consistently shown high drop-out rates, high percentages of non-respondent patients who experience treatment failures, and mixed findings regarding the enduring effects of psychotherapy. Thus, there is a need to develop more personalised treatment models tailored to patients' needs. A new integrative sequential stepwise approach to the treatment of depression is suggested.