Cognitive behavior therapy for depression? Choose horses for courses.
OBJECTIVE
Although cognitive behavior therapy is a widely accepted treatment for depression, the problematic nature of efficacy studies is insufficiently recognized.


METHODS
The authors reviewed original studies and quantitative analyses on the use of cognitive behavior therapy for depression.


RESULTS
The authors suggested that claims for cognitive behavior therapy's efficacy on depression have been overstated, questioned whether its efficacy fits within its theoretical underpinning, and argued against viewing cognitive behavior therapy as a universal rather than a targeted strategy.


CONCLUSIONS
Although cognitive behavior therapy may act more by its nonspecific therapeutic ingredients, the authors argued that by testing cognitive behavior therapy's efficacy in heterogeneous study groups, rather than in specific subgroups, failure to differentiate it from control therapies may have been ensured.
School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia. g.parker@unsw.edu.au
Gordon
G
Parker
Kay
K
Roy
Kerrie
K
Eyers
D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000928:Antidepressive Agents