Pre-existing antidepressant medication and the outcome of group cognitive-behavioural therapy.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the impact of pre-existing medication on the outcome of group cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) in the treatment of patients with depression. Of the 71 patients diagnosed with major depression who participated in group CBT, 25 were on medication (CBT-M) and 46 were unmedicated (CBT). The patients received 12 sessions of group CBT over a 3-month period. The dependent measures used were the Beck Depression Inventory, Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire, Hopelessness Scale, Dysfunctional Attitude Scale, Daily Activity Rating Scale and Daily Mood Rating Scale. Both the CBT and CBT-M groups showed statistically significant improvement in depression scores and cognitive process measures. However, the rate of improvement for both groups on these measures did not differ. The study indicated that pre-existing antidepressant medication did not enhance or detract from the positive treatment outcome of depressed patients receiving a group CBT treatment.