The efficacy of imipramine and psychotherapy in early-onset chronic depression: a reanalysis of the National Institute of Mental Health Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program

Abstract

The authors compared the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT), Imipramine Clinical Management (ICM) to Placebo Clinical Management (PCM) for outpatients with early-onset chronic depression ( N=65) in the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program (TDRP). The post-treatment depression scores of the CBT, IPT, and ICM groups were not significantly different from the PCM group. We did not find a relationship between the duration of Major Depression and response to a specific treatment. Studies are needed to determine if combining psychotherapy with medication improves social functioning and enhances the quality of life for patients with chronic depression.