RECRUITINGINTERVENTIONAL

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

About This Trial

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.

Who May Be Eligible (Plain English)

Who May Qualify: - 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 willing to sign a consent form. Who Should NOT Join This Trial: - 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 Always talk to your doctor about whether this trial is right for you.

Original Eligibility Criteria

View original clinical language

Inclusion Criteria: * 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 Criteria: * 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

Treatments Being Tested

BEHAVIORAL

Supportive-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.

BEHAVIORAL

Emotions-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.

Locations (1)

University of Haifa

Haifa, Israel