RecruitingNot ApplicableNCT04576182

Supportive-Expressive and Emotion-Focused Treatment for Depression

Investigating Mechanisms of Change in Supportive-Expressive vs. Emotion-Focused Treatment of Depression Using a Personalized Treatment Approach: The Case of the Theories of Weakness vs. Strength

Sponsor

University of Haifa

Enrollment

124 participants

Start Date

Nov 29, 2020

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Conditions

Major Depressive Disorder

Summary

This study will explore the mechanisms of change that are activated when individuals receive a treatment that targets their weakness and the mechanisms activated when the treatment capitalize on their strength. Patients will be assigned to one of two types of psychotherapies in treating people with a major depression disorder, expressive-supportive vs. emotion-focused treatment. Their ability to benefit from treatment based on their pre-treatment levels of insight and emotional processing will be examined. This is a four-month protocol, with a 2 year follow up period.

Eligibility

Min Age: 18 YearsMax Age: 65 Years

Inclusion Criteria5

Meeting major depressive disorder diagnostic criteria using the structured clinical interviews for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 and scoring more than 14 on the 17-item Hamilton rating scale for depression at two evaluations (one week apart) (Hamilton, 1967).
If on medication, patients' dosage must be stable for at least three months prior to entering the study, and they must be willing to maintain stable dosage for the duration of treatment
Age between 18 and 65
Hebrew language fluency
Provision of written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria5

Current risk of suicide or self-harm
current substance abuse disorders
current or past schizophrenia or psychosis, bipolar disorder, or severe eating disorder requiring medical monitoring
history of organic mental disease
currently in psychotherapy

Interventions

BEHAVIORALSupportive-expressive treatment

Sixteen weeks of a time-limited psychodynamic therapy adapted for depression that includes the use of expressive techniques, such as interpretation, confrontation, clarification and the use of supportive techniques, such as affirmation and empathic validation. This treatment postulates insight as its core mechanism of change.

BEHAVIORALEmotions-Focused treatment

Sixteen weeks of a brief experiential therapy for depression that combine client-centered relational elements (unconditional positive regard, congruence, and empathy) with marker-guided experiential interventions designed to facilitate and deepen emotional processing and emotion regulation.