A Comparison Between the Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Treatment and Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression on Symptoms Severity and Rumination Among Patients with Treatment-Resistant Depression

Abstract

Background: A group of patients with depression do not show proper treatment response to merely biological interventions. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of add on acceptance and commitment treatment (ACT) and brief behavioral activation therapy for depression (BATD) to pharmacotherapy in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Methods: The study was conducted in Sari and Babol (North of Iran), during year 2016. In this study, the method of multiple baseline was used. Twelve patients, including eight females and four males, having level 2 European staging model, were randomly selected and entered the study after an interview by a psychiatrist and conducting SCID-I -SCID-II and checking the inclusion and exclusion criteria. They were randomly entered in 12 sessions of ACT or BATD. The data obtained were analyzed through the method of visual outline, reliable change index (RCI), effect size, and improvement percentage formula. Results: The results of this study showed that the ACT and BATD were useful for improving treatment targets. These results were statistically significant according to the RCI index. The earned effect size varied from 1 to 3.33. Conclusions: The results of this study provided greater evidence for ACT and BADT. Also, the present study supports the role of trans-diagnostic approaches as an add on to in TRD.