[Short-Term Psychodynamic Therapy in Depression - An Evidence-Based Unified Protocol]

With a lifetime prevalence of about 17% depression is the most common mental disorder. Psychotherapy is efficacious in the treatment of depression, with no significant differences between different forms of psychotherapies. For psychodynamic therapy (PDT) various models proved to be efficacious in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). As a consequence the evidence for PDT is scattered between different forms or orientations of PDT entailing problems regarding psychotherapy training and the transfer of research into clinical practice. Thus, our aim was to develop a unified protocol for the dynamic treatment of depression that is based on those models of PDT that proved efficacious in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). As a first step we conducted a systematic search of RCTs investigating manualized or manual-based individual psychodynamic therapy for depressive disorders in adults that proved to be efficacious compared to comparison conditions. 11 studies fulfilled our inclusion criteria. In a second step we systematically reviewed the studies with regard to the treatment concepts they had applied. 7 highly consistent treatment components could be identified. We conceptualized them in the form of 7 interrelated treatment modules which constitute the unified psychodynamic protocol for depression. The protocol may enhance the empirical status of PDT and facilitate both psychotherapy training as well as the transfer of research to clinical practice. Through the focused use of techniques that proofed efficacious it is expected to bring more benefit to depressed patients and therefore also have a positive impact on the health care system.