[Predictive factors of a good response to cognitive therapies in depression]

Thanks to Beck's cognitive model of depression, cognitive therapies for depressive disorders have been developed. Such therapies have been proven effective when used alone or in conjunction with antidepressant drugs. However, it seems that the effectiveness of such therapies depends on some factors related either to the type of depression itself or to the specificity of the cognitive therapy. Understanding these factors helps both to know under what conditions cognitive therapy is best prescribed and to improve the therapeutic procedures used. The nature of depression and the disturbed associated cognitions is likely to have more influence on the effectiveness of cognitive therapy than the intensity of the depressive syndrome. The type of cognitive therapy used does not appear to be an essential factor in predicting therapeutic success. Two factors, however, are fundamental: carrying out assigned homework tasks; establishing a therapeutic relationship based on trust and cooperation. This is not a surprise for anyone familiar with the "didactic" as well as "therapeutic" process of cognitive therapy.