Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 28, 2026

MRI-guided dmPFC-rTMS as a Treatment for Treatment-resistant Major Depressive Disorder
Published on: August 11, 2015
Cognitive behavioral treatment of residual symptoms in primary major depressive disorder
G A Fava1, S Grandi, M Zielezny
1Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Italy.
Objective:
Cognitive behavioral treatment has been used extensively in the acute phase of depression. The purpose of this study was to determine the applicability and effectiveness of this treatment modality in addressing the residual symptoms of primary major depressive illness.
Method:
The subjects were 40 patients with major depressive disorder who were successfully treated with antidepressant drugs. They were then randomly assigned to either cognitive behavioral treatment or clinical management of residual symptoms. In both subgroups, antidepressant drugs were tapered and discontinued.
Results:
The group that received cognitive behavioral treatment had a significantly lower level of residual symptoms after drug discontinuation in comparison with the clinical management group. Cognitive behavioral treatment also resulted in a lower rate of relapse (15%) at a 2-year follow-up than did clinical management (35%), although this difference did not reach statistical significance. Most of the residual symptoms were found to have occurred also in the prodromal phase of illness.
Conclusions:
This preliminary study points to the potential clinical advantages of cognitive behavioral treatment targeted to the residual symptoms of depression.
Related Concept Videos
Behavior Therapy
Exposure therapy is a cornerstone of behavioral treatment for anxiety disorders. It involves systematic exposure to feared stimuli, either in real...
Operant Conditioning Intervention
In operant conditioning, behaviors that are...
Modeling in Therapy
Participant Modeling
Participant modeling involves therapists demonstrating calm and effective behaviors in situations...
Cognitive Therapy
Beck's Cognitive Therapy
Arbitrary Inference
Arbitrary inference involves making conclusions without sufficient...
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy

