Comparison of Positive Psychotherapy and Cognitive-Behavioral Psychotherapy for Depression

University of Salzburg

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Depression

Treatments: Behavioral: Positive Psychotherapy; Behavioral: Cognitive behavioral therapy

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02572921

USalzburg

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study evaluates the effects of the Positive Psychotherapy on depressive symptoms and on happiness compared with regular cognitive behavioral therapy.

Full description

Positive Psychotherapy (PPT) focuses on increasing well-being and positive emotions rather than ameliorating deficits in contrast to standard psychotherapy.

A lack of positive emotions, engagement and felt meaning are typically viewed as consequences or mere correlates of depression, while the PPT suggests that these may be causal for depression. Therefore building positive emotion, engagement and meaning will alleviate depression.

Thus PPT may offer a new way to treat and prevent depression.

The aim of this study is to compare the effects of the Positive Psychotherapy on depressive symptoms, life satisfaction and happiness in comparison to standard cognitive behavior psychotherapy (regular cognitive behavioral therapy).

60 mildly to moderately depressed patients are randomly assigned to the Positive Psychotherapy group or the regular cognitive behavioral therapy group.

Both treatments (primary intervention group and control group) are conducted in an outpatient group therapy setting with 14 sessions and a duration of 2-hours-per-week in small groups of 6 or 7 patients.

Enrollment: 60 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 60 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Clinical diagnosis of Depression (Major depressive disorder, recurrent: mild to moderate; Major depressive disorder, single episode: mild to moderate; Dysthymic disorder)
• Patients should be between age 18 and 60

Exclusion criteria

• Any current treatment for depression
• Substance related or alcohol related disorder (within the last 12 months)
• Panic disorder
• Manic or hypomanic disorder
• Psychotic disorder * refusal to participate in a 14 weeks psychotherapy treatment

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Factorial Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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60 participants in 2 patient groups

Positive Psychotherapy

Experimental group

Description:

Experimental Group (Positive Psychotherapy)

Treatment:

Behavioral: Positive Psychotherapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Active Comparator group

Description:

Active Control Group (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)

Treatment:

Behavioral: Cognitive behavioral therapy