"I am depressed. What psychotherapy or psychological treatment is most effective for depression?" 

 

There are hundreds of quality scientific research studies into the effectiveness of various psychological interventions for depression (and other common psychological problems). This mass of research is analysed as a whole by national bodies such as NICE (the National Institute of Clinical Health Excellence) within the UK, which looks at the effectiveness of health treatments, recommending what should be offered to whom within the NHS. (Here is a link to the NICE Clinical Guideline for the treatment of depression CG90, if you want to look at detail of the guideline fpr depression.)

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Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is the number one psychological therapy treatment recommended for depression.

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This NICE guideline outlines how, depending on the severity of depression, that the intensity of CBT intervention to be delivered to the person should vary. Less severe depression, may benefit from a lower intensity intervention, which can be delivered by therapists with less training. Those who do not respond to this, which in real life be quite a few people, will then be ‘stepped-up’ to the next level of intervention. These people who didn’t respond enough to the initial intervention, will then join those assessed to have a more severe or entrenched episode of depression, who should see therapists who have had more substantial CBT training.

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For those who do not respond to initial quality CBT treatment, then other treatment approaches can be considered later, by therapists trained in other treatment approaches. Medication, such as anti-depressant SSRIs can be useful to supplement or complement psychological treatments.

 

I should have the training and experience you need.

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I am a fully-trained Clinical Psychologist (being trained in CBT and other psychological therapies), with Postgraduate qualifications in CBT, and 20 years of experience in the NHS, working with depression each week. To find out how I can help in London (East Dulwich, the City of London, by phone or Skype), then get in touch.

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Read about the other psychological problems that I can help with, Or, if you haven’t read the other two sections below, click to read more on:

• What depression is

• Why depression develops