title: Effectiveness of Acceptance-Commitment Therapy on Anxiety and Depression among Patients on Methadone Treatment: A Pilot Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Substance dependence disorder is a psychiatric disorders with different factors that influence its nature, severity, outcome, and treatment options.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study evaluates the effectiveness of Acceptance-Commitment Therapy (ACT) to decrease anxiety and depression in patients with opioid dependencies who are undergoing methadone maintenance treatment (MMT).
  
  
  METHODS
  The present study was done in Mashhad from 2011-2012. Twenty-eight patients (18-50 yr) with opioid dependency who were on MMT were selected using purposive sampling and were divided equally between case and control groups. The case group received 8 sessions of individual psychotherapy with ACT. The level of depression and anxiety of these patients were measured using the Beck Depression Inventory-II and Beck Anxiety Inventory before the initiation of ACT as a pretest, 2 weeks after the termination of ACT as the posttest, and 3-months after the termination as a follow-up. The collected data was analyzed with SPSS (ver. 20) using χ2, paired t-test, ANOVA, and MANOVA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The pretest-posttest-follow up of anxiety showed no significant differences between the two groups (P = 0.05); however, the case group had lower depression scores in the posttest and follow-up than the control group (P = 0.04). Evaluating the results of the case group revealed that depression significantly decreased in the posttest group when compared to the pretest (P = 0.01) and there were no significant decreases in the follow up compared to the pretest (P = 0.34).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Short-term ACT for opioid dependent patients on MMT are not associated with a significant decrease in the level of anxiety; however, it is associated with a significant decrease in the level of depression. Nonetheless, this reduction was not maintained long term.
authors.affiliation: Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mozhgan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saedy
authors.affiliation: Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Shirin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kooshki
authors.affiliation: Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahmoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jamali Firouzabadi
authors.affiliation: Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Emamipour
authors.affiliation: Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rezaei Ardani
keywords: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy; Anxiety; Depression; Opioid-Related Disorders