Depression : Treatment Modalities

Treatment Modalities

• Psychological treatments
  • Individual psychotherapy: Long-term therapeutic approach; difficult because of client’s impairment in interpersonal functioning
  • Group therapy: Some success if occurring over the long-term course of the illness; less successful in acute, short-term treatment
  • Behavior therapy: Chief drawback has been inability to generalize to community setting after client has been discharged from treatment.
• Social treatments
  • Social skills training: Use of role play to teach client appropriate eye contact, interpersonal skills, voice intonation, posture, and so on; aimed at improving relationship development
  • Family therapy: Aimed at helping family members cope with long-term effects of the illness
• Program of Assertive Community Treatment
  • A program of case management that takes a team approach in providing comprehensive, community-based psychiatric treatment, rehabilitation, and support to persons with serious and persistent mental illness