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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 29, 2026

A New Method for Inducing a Depression-Like Behavior in Rats

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Published on: February 22, 2018

Relaxation for depression.

Anthony F Jorm¹, Amy J Morgan, Sarah E Hetrick

¹Department of Psychiatry, Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, University of Melbourne , Locked Bag 10, 35 Poplar Road, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, 3052.

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

|October 10, 2008

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Relaxation techniques effectively reduce self-reported depressive symptoms compared to minimal treatment. However, they are less effective than psychological interventions, indicating a need for further research in stepped care approaches for depression management.

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Area of Science:

Mental Health Research
Psychological Interventions
Clinical Psychology

Background:

Public attitudes towards antidepressants are often negative.
Psychological interventions are more acceptable but require extensive therapist training.
There is a need for accessible psychological interventions with lower training requirements to increase adoption.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the efficacy of relaxation techniques in reducing depressive symptoms.
To determine if relaxation techniques improve treatment response and remission rates in depression.

Main Methods:

A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials.
Searched Cochrane Collaboration Depression, Anxiety and Neurosis Group register up to February 2008 and reference lists.
Included trials on progressive muscle relaxation, relaxation imagery, and autogenic training for depression.

Main Results:

Relaxation techniques significantly reduced self-reported depressive symptoms compared to wait-list or minimal treatment (SMD -0.59).
Relaxation was less effective than psychological treatments (e.g., CBT) for self-reported depression (SMD 0.38).
Results for clinician-rated depression and comparisons with medication were less conclusive due to limited data.

Conclusions:

Relaxation techniques show promise in reducing self-rated depressive symptoms, offering a potentially lower-barrier intervention.
They are not as effective as established psychological treatments, suggesting a role in stepped care models.
Further research is needed to explore relaxation's utility as a first-line treatment, particularly for specific populations.