Four different treatments were compared each 16 weeks in length. Cognitive behavior therapy. The cognitive therapist uses strategies and techniques designed to help depressed patients correct negative, distorted views about themselves, the world, and the future, and the underlying maladaptive beliefs that gave rise to these cognitions. The IPT therapist seeks to help the patient to identify and better understand his or her interpersonal problems and conflicts and to develop more adaptive ways of relating to others. The pharmacotherapy condition.
Medication is administered double blind, within the context of a clinical management session.
The average dosage of imipramine hydrochloride was approximately 185 mg. The pill-placebo condition. The clinical management was introduced to insure standard clinical care, to maximize compliance, and to address ethical concerns regarding used of a placebo with depressed patients. The patients were assessed before treatment and several points during at the conclusion of treatments. Four separate psychological tests were used to determine the efficacy of each of the treatment.