Depressed patients’ preferences for type of psychotherapy: a preliminary study

BACKGROUND The treatment recommendations for depressed patients by the American Psychiatric Association encourage a focus on the patient's preferences. The focus of this study was the preference of depressed inpatients for the type of psychotherapy. METHODS Twenty-nine subjects of both sexes who were hospitalized with a major depressive episode were interviewed at 5-day intervals with the same questions after the depressive episode resolved, as indicated by a score less than 7 on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). The selection of items was performed by expert consensus. RESULTS The supportive psychotherapy scores were the highest, followed by psychodynamic psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. The two sessions conducted at 5-day intervals showed no significant difference, which reflected the stability of choices and preferences of patients. CONCLUSION In this study, the patients preferred supportive psychotherapy as first-line therapy compared to psychodynamic psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy.