Depression & Mood Disorders
Depressive Disorders / Bipolar and Related Disorders (DSM-5-TR)
Persistent low mood, loss of interest, fatigue, sleep/appetite disruption, and cognitive changes. Includes major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia), bipolar depression, and perinatal mood disorders. One of the most common reasons people seek therapy.
Prevalence: ~8% of US adults had a major depressive episode in the past year (NIMH, from NSDUH 2021); ~21% lifetime prevalence of major depressive disorder (NESARC-III, Hasin et al., 2018)
Clinical Picture
Depression is not one thing. The flat, leaden immobility of melancholic depression is neurobiologically and experientially different from the agitated, ruminative quality of anxious depression or the irritable emptiness of what's sometimes called 'male-type' depression. Treatment selection depends on which depression you're actually looking at. Behavioral activation works well for the withdrawal-and-avoidance pattern. Cognitive restructuring targets the ruminative loop. Psychodynamic approaches may be essential when depression is rooted in unprocessed grief, chronic self-attack, or relational templates established in childhood. Somatic approaches become relevant when the body itself seems to carry the depression: when the client can articulate no thoughts but reports heaviness, constriction, or numbness.
Treatment Considerations
The assessments below concern specific diagnoses and treatment phases. Adult unipolar-depression recommendations should not automatically be applied to bipolar depression or every perinatal presentation included in this broad topic. NICE recommends choosing treatment with the person according to clinical needs and preferences, considering guided self-help first for less severe new episodes. VA/DoD recommends psychotherapy or medication monotherapy for uncomplicated MDD and weakly suggests combined treatment for severe, persistent or recurrent MDD. These recommendations do not establish that one approach always wins or that combination treatment consistently outperforms either treatment for every treatment-resistant presentation. Ask directly about suicidal thoughts and intent, monitor risk during treatment, and arrange help appropriate to the level of need. Coexisting conditions require their own assessment and treatment considerations.
Sources for the corrected statements:
- NICE NG222 (2022), Recommendation 1.5.2: less severe treatment choice
- NICE NG222 (2022), Recommendation 1.6.1: more severe treatment choice
- VA/DoD MDD (2022), Recommendations 6–7: uncomplicated MDD and unranked psychotherapies
- VA/DoD MDD (2022), Recommendation 15: combined treatment for specified severe/complex MDD
- NICE NG222, Recommendation 1.2.8: direct suicide-risk questions and appropriate help
- NICE NG222, Recommendation 1.4.3: monitoring during treatment
Approaches and Evidence
Of 80 associated approaches, 17 have completed assessments for this topic, 15 have source checks awaiting assessment, and 48 have neither recorded yet. Each completed assessment states its population and rationale; source checks alone do not establish effectiveness. These categories describe different findings and review stages; they are not a ranking of treatments. 1 framework is shown separately.
Guideline recommendation (9)
These assessments record a guideline recommendation for the stated population. Read the scope and rationale; a broad topic label does not make a recommendation applicable to everyone.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Steven Hayes · 1999
Reviewed population: Adults with major depressive disorder when choosing psychotherapy, within the VA/DoD guideline's recommendations for uncomplicated MDD.
VA/DoD 2022 Recommendation 7 suggests ACT among several psychotherapy options, with a weak recommendation and no ranking among them. In a separate 82-person routine-practice trial, A-Tjak et al. (2018) found improvement with ACT and CBT but no significant between-group differences through six-month follow-up. This qualified recommendation does not establish ACT's superiority, and the trial's nonsignificant superiority comparison does not prove equivalence.
Reviewed
Guidelines and official sources (3)
2 clinical guideline checks · 1 evidence registry check
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Acceptance and commitment therapy for depression
Discussed in the source
The archive lists Modest under 1998 criteria, with 2015 re-evaluation pending. A registry entry does not establish a depression guideline recommendation.
Scope: ACT for depression
- Management of Major Depressive Disorder
Recommendation for the stated population
VA/DoD suggests acceptance and commitment therapy among seven unranked psychotherapy options (weak for). Treatment strategy also depends on severity, chronicity, prior response and preference.
Scope: Adults with uncomplicated MDD choosing psychotherapy.
- Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) guideline for mental, neurological and substance use disorders
Discussed in the source
ACT is named in the reviewed third-wave therapy category. WHO recommends that category alongside other structured therapies; it does not give ACT a separate recommendation or separate certainty rating here.
Scope: Adults with moderate-to-severe depression, within the mhGAP non-specialist-care context.
Behavioral Activation
Lewinsohn / Jacobson / Martell · 1974
Reviewed population: Adults with a new episode of unipolar depression/MDD; structured, manual-based behavioral activation, delivered in a format appropriate to severity and preference.
NICE NG222 lists behavioral activation for new adult depressive episodes: structured guided self-help and group or individual BA appear among less severe options, while individual BA is listed for more severe depression. Its advice is to match the intervention to clinical needs and preferences, considering guided self-help first for less severe illness. VA/DoD 2022 weakly suggests behavioral therapy/BA among its unranked psychotherapy options for MDD. These sources support a structured BA treatment, rather than any activity recommendation. They do not establish universal equivalence to CBT, superiority over other treatments, or a relapse-prevention recommendation for BA. This assessment concerns unipolar depression, not bipolar episodes.
Reviewed
- NICE NG222 (2022), adult depression: recommendation 1.5.2
- NICE NG222 (2022), adult depression: Table 1
- NICE NG222 (2022), adult depression: recommendation 1.6.1
- NICE NG222 (2022), adult depression: Table 2
- VA/DoD 2022, major depressive disorder guideline, PDF p. 23
- VA/DoD 2022, major depressive disorder guideline, PDF p. 35
Guidelines and official sources (5)
4 clinical guideline checks · 1 evidence registry check
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Depression in adults: treatment and management (NG222)
Recommendation for the stated population
Behavioural activation is a named adult depression treatment option.
Scope: Adults with depression
- Behavioral activation for depression
Discussed in the source
The archive lists Strong under 1998 criteria; 2015 re-evaluation is pending.
Scope: Behavioural activation for depression
- Management of Major Depressive Disorder
Recommendation for the stated population
VA/DoD suggests behavioral therapy/behavioral activation among seven unranked psychotherapy options (weak for). Treatment strategy also depends on severity, chronicity, prior response and preference.
Scope: Adults with uncomplicated MDD choosing psychotherapy.
- mhGAP: brief structured psychological treatment for depression
Recommendation for the stated population
WHO includes behavioral activation among the structured psychological interventions that should be offered. The recommendation is strong, with moderate-certainty evidence.
Scope: Adults with moderate-to-severe depression, within the mhGAP non-specialist-care context.
- Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) guideline for mental, neurological and substance use disorders
Recommendation for the stated population
WHO conditionally recommends considering behavioral activation, with low-certainty evidence. The 2023 edition retains the 2015 recommendation because eligible new evidence was insufficient; suitability requires an individual assessment.
Scope: People living with dementia and mild-to-moderate depression.
Behavioral Couples Therapy
Neil Jacobson / Gayla Margolin (after Stuart, Weiss) · 1979
Reviewed population: Adults with depression and partner-relationship problems relevant to their depression or treatment.
NICE NG222 1.7.1 says to consider behavioural couples therapy for less or more severe depression when relationship problems may contribute or partner involvement may help treatment. Recommendation 1.7.2 specifies behavioural principles and 15–20 sessions over 5–6 months. This contextual recommendation does not endorse every couples model or depression presentation.
Reviewed
Guidelines and official sources (2)
2 clinical guideline checks
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Depression in adults: treatment and management (NG222)
Recommendation for the stated population
NICE says to consider behavioural couples therapy for this depression and relationship context.
Scope: Adults with depression and partner-relationship problems contributing to depression or whose partner may help treatment
- Management of Major Depressive Disorder
Discussed in the source
VA/DoD suggests couples-focused therapy as a category (weak for), without preferring a model. Assess partner involvement and safety; this is not a separate endorsement of this named protocol.
Scope: Adults with mild-to-moderate MDD and significant relationship distress.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Aaron Beck · 1964
Reviewed population: Adults with unipolar depression/MDD receiving a depression-specific CBT protocol; treatment intensity and combination with medication depend on severity, history and preference.
NICE NG222 includes manual-based CBT among options for new episodes of less and more severe adult depression, selected through shared decision-making. For less severe episodes, it advises considering guided self-help first. VA/DoD 2022 recommends psychotherapy or medication monotherapy for uncomplicated MDD and weakly suggests CBT among seven named, unranked psychotherapies. For severe, persistent or recurrent MDD, VA/DoD instead weakly suggests combining evidence-based psychotherapy with medication; NICE also lists combined individual CBT and an antidepressant for more severe depression. These recommendations support depression-specific CBT, without establishing that it is always preferable to other therapies or that every CBT adaptation has equivalent support. This assessment does not cover bipolar depression or children.
Reviewed
- NICE NG222 (2022), adult depression: recommendation 1.5.2
- NICE NG222 (2022), adult depression: Table 1
- NICE NG222 (2022), adult depression: recommendation 1.6.1
- NICE NG222 (2022), adult depression: Table 2
- VA/DoD 2022, major depressive disorder guideline, PDF p. 23
- VA/DoD 2022, major depressive disorder guideline, PDF p. 43
Guidelines and official sources (18)
17 clinical guideline checks · 1 evidence registry check
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Depression in adults: treatment and management (NG222)
Recommendation for the stated population
CBT is a named adult depression treatment option.
Scope: Adults with depression
- Cognitive therapy for depression
Discussed in the source
The archive rates this specific treatment Strong under 1998 criteria; this is not a universal CBT rating or CPG grade.
Scope: Cognitive therapy for depression
- Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Pregnancy
Recommendation for the stated population
VA/DoD strongly recommends offering CBT for prevention in this at-risk population. Treatment of an existing depressive episode is addressed separately.
Scope: Pregnant patients at risk of perinatal depression; individual or group delivery.
- Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Pregnancy
Recommendation for the stated population
VA/DoD weakly suggests CBT for treating perinatal depression.
Scope: Depression during pregnancy or postpartum.
- Management of Major Depressive Disorder
Recommendation for the stated population
VA/DoD suggests cognitive behavioral therapy among seven unranked psychotherapy options (weak for). Treatment strategy also depends on severity, chronicity, prior response and preference.
Scope: Adults with uncomplicated MDD choosing psychotherapy.
- Management of Major Depressive Disorder
Recommendation for the stated population
VA/DoD suggests CBT during continuation treatment to reduce relapse or recurrence (weak for). CBT, IPT and MBCT are not ranked against one another.
Scope: Remitted MDD with high risk of relapse or recurrence.
- Management of Major Depressive Disorder
Discussed in the source
VA/DoD suggests first-line psychotherapy, including CBT, considering preferences and medication safety (weak for). The recommendation does not establish one psychotherapy as superior.
Scope: Adults aged 65 or older with mild-to-moderate MDD.
- Management of Major Depressive Disorder
Discussed in the source
VA/DoD suggests CBT-based bibliotherapy as an adjunct, or an alternative when other treatments are declined or inaccessible (weak for). This concerns a specific delivery format.
Scope: Adults with MDD; CBT-based bibliotherapy.
- Management of Bipolar Disorder
Recommendation for the stated population
VA/DoD suggests CBT alongside pharmacotherapy (weak for). It finds insufficient evidence to prefer CBT over the other listed adjunctive psychotherapies.
Scope: Adults with bipolar I or II who are not acutely manic.
- Clinical Practice Guideline for Management of Stroke Rehabilitation
Recommendation for the stated population
VA/DoD weakly recommends psychotherapy and explicitly names CBT as an example. This recommendation concerns treating depression after stroke, rather than preventing stroke or restoring motor function.
Scope: Depression following stroke.
- Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Depression Across Three Age Cohorts
Insufficient evidence for or against
APA found insufficient evidence for a CBT recommendation in this age group. Adolescents have a separate recommendation.
Scope: Children with depressive disorders; initial treatment.
- Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Depression Across Three Age Cohorts
Recommendation for the stated population
APA recommends CBT as one initial psychotherapy option.
Scope: Adolescents with depressive disorders; initial treatment, excluding psychotic depression.
- Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Depression Across Three Age Cohorts
Recommendation for the stated population
For combined treatment, APA recommends CBT plus a second-generation antidepressant. It does not identify a superior psychotherapy monotherapy.
Scope: Adult depressive disorders, excluding psychotic depression; bipolar disorder is outside scope.
- Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Depression Across Three Age Cohorts
Recommendation for the stated population
APA recommends group CBT over no treatment.
Scope: Adults aged 60 or older with MDD; group CBT, alone or added to usual care.
- mhGAP: brief structured psychological treatment for depression
Recommendation for the stated population
WHO strongly recommends structured psychological interventions including CBT for this population, based on moderate-certainty evidence.
Scope: Adults with moderate-to-severe depression, within the mhGAP non-specialist-care context.
- Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) guideline for mental, neurological and substance use disorders
Recommendation for the stated population
WHO conditionally recommends considering CBT, with low-certainty evidence. The 2023 edition retains the 2015 recommendation because eligible new evidence was insufficient; suitability requires an individual assessment.
Scope: People living with dementia and mild-to-moderate depression.
- Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) guideline for mental, neurological and substance use disorders
Discussed in the source
WHO strongly recommends psychosocial interventions incorporating CBT, psychoeducation and family-focused approaches, with low-certainty evidence. This is a prevention recommendation for a defined group, rather than a general child-disorder treatment recommendation.
Scope: Children whose parents have mental health conditions; prevention of depression and anxiety.
- Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) guideline for mental, neurological and substance use disorders
Recommendation for the stated population
WHO conditionally recommends individual CBT and other listed psychological interventions as adjuncts to pharmacological treatment, with low-certainty evidence. This concerns maintenance in remission, not acute mania or a blanket depression recommendation.
Scope: Adults with bipolar disorder in remission.
Internet-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Various (Andersson / Titov) · 2000
Reviewed population: Adults with mild-to-moderate MDD receiving clinician-guided internet CBT.
VA/DoD 2022 recommendation 10 weakly supports clinician-guided computer/internet CBT as initial treatment or alongside medication, according to preference. It does not extend to unguided apps or establish equivalence to in-person therapy.
Reviewed
Guidelines and official sources (5)
5 clinical guideline checks
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Depression in adults: treatment and management (NG222)
Discussed in the source
NICE includes supported printed or digital structured self-help, including CBT. The programme and support requirements matter.
Scope: Adults with depression choosing guided self-help
- Management of Major Depressive Disorder
Recommendation for the stated population
VA/DoD suggests clinician-guided computer/internet CBT as first-line treatment or alongside medication, according to preference (weak for). This does not endorse every app or unguided programme.
Scope: Adults with mild-to-moderate MDD; clinician-guided delivery.
- Management of Bipolar Disorder
Discussed in the source
VA/DoD finds insufficient evidence for any particular app or computer/web intervention. This broader technology finding is not a specific assessment of every iCBT programme.
Scope: Adults with bipolar disorder; digital interventions.
- Clinical Practice Guideline for Management of Stroke Rehabilitation
Discussed in the source
The guideline discusses computerized CBT under its broader weak recommendation for psychotherapy after stroke. It does not separately establish a preferred digital program or equivalence of all delivery formats.
Scope: Computerized CBT studied for depression following stroke.
- Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) guideline for mental, neurological and substance use disorders
Discussed in the source
The review includes internet CBT. WHO notes that guided internet CBT was more effective than unguided delivery for this population; its clinical recommendation is for structured psychological interventions, rather than every digital program.
Scope: Adults with moderate-to-severe depression, within the mhGAP non-specialist-care context.
Interpersonal Psychotherapy
Klerman / Weissman · 1984
Reviewed population: Adults with unipolar depression/MDD receiving manual-based interpersonal psychotherapy; separately, people in remission at high risk of relapse or recurrence receiving continuation-phase IPT.
NICE NG222 includes individual, manual-based IPT among treatments for both less and more severe new episodes of adult depression. VA/DoD 2022 weakly suggests IPT among seven unranked psychotherapy options for MDD. It separately weakly suggests a course of IPT, CBT or MBCT after remission for people at high risk of relapse or recurrence, without preferring one of those three. Initial treatment and relapse prevention therefore have different populations and phases. This supports IPT for the stated adult depression contexts, not a universal ranking alongside CBT as the only two leading treatments. The assessment does not cover bipolar depression or interpersonal approaches that do not follow an IPT protocol.
Reviewed
- NICE NG222 (2022), adult depression: recommendation 1.5.2
- NICE NG222 (2022), adult depression: Table 1
- NICE NG222 (2022), adult depression: recommendation 1.6.1
- NICE NG222 (2022), adult depression: Table 2
- VA/DoD 2022, major depressive disorder guideline, PDF p. 23
- VA/DoD 2022, major depressive disorder guideline, PDF p. 55
Guidelines and official sources (11)
11 clinical guideline checks
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Depression in adults: treatment and management (NG222)
Recommendation for the stated population
IPT is a named adult depression treatment option.
Scope: Adults with depression
- Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Depression Across Three Age Cohorts
Recommendation for the stated population
APA does not select one adult psychotherapy monotherapy as superior. It includes IPT and specifically recommends IPT or CBT plus a second-generation antidepressant when combined treatment is chosen.
Scope: Adult depressive disorders excluding psychotic depression; bipolar disorder is outside the guideline scope. Initial monotherapy choice or combined treatment.
- Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Pregnancy
Recommendation for the stated population
VA/DoD strongly recommends offering IPT for prevention in this at-risk population. Treatment of an existing depressive episode is addressed separately.
Scope: Pregnant patients at risk of perinatal depression; individual or group delivery.
- Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Pregnancy
Recommendation for the stated population
VA/DoD strongly recommends IPT for treating perinatal depression.
Scope: Depression during pregnancy or postpartum.
- Management of Major Depressive Disorder
Recommendation for the stated population
VA/DoD suggests interpersonal therapy among seven unranked psychotherapy options (weak for). Treatment strategy also depends on severity, chronicity, prior response and preference.
Scope: Adults with uncomplicated MDD choosing psychotherapy.
- Management of Major Depressive Disorder
Recommendation for the stated population
VA/DoD suggests IPT during continuation treatment to reduce relapse or recurrence (weak for). CBT, IPT and MBCT are not ranked against one another.
Scope: Remitted MDD with high risk of relapse or recurrence.
- Management of Bipolar Disorder
Discussed in the source
VA/DoD suggests interpersonal and social rhythm therapy alongside medication (weak for). That combined protocol is distinct from IPT alone.
Scope: Adults with bipolar I or II who are not acutely manic.
- Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Depression Across Three Age Cohorts
Recommendation for the stated population
APA recommends IPT-A as an initial psychotherapy option.
Scope: Adolescents with depressive disorders; the adolescent adaptation IPT-A, excluding psychotic depression.
- Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Depression Across Three Age Cohorts
Recommendation for the stated population
APA recommends combined treatment, favoring a second-generation antidepressant on tolerability grounds.
Scope: Adults aged 60 or older with MDD; combined medication and IPT versus IPT alone.
- mhGAP: brief structured psychological treatment for depression
Recommendation for the stated population
WHO strongly recommends structured psychological interventions including IPT for this population, based on moderate-certainty evidence.
Scope: Adults with moderate-to-severe depression, within the mhGAP non-specialist-care context.
- Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) guideline for mental, neurological and substance use disorders
Recommendation for the stated population
WHO conditionally recommends considering IPT, with low-certainty evidence. The 2023 edition retains the 2015 recommendation because eligible new evidence was insufficient; suitability requires an individual assessment.
Scope: People living with dementia and mild-to-moderate depression.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
Segal / Williams / Teasdale · 2002
Reviewed population: Adults with uncomplicated MDD, or remitted MDD with high relapse risk.
VA/DoD 2022 weakly includes MBCT for initial psychotherapy selection (recommendation 7) and separately for continuation after remission in patients at high relapse risk (22). Neither recommendation establishes superiority; acute treatment and relapse prevention are distinct scopes.
Reviewed
Guidelines and official sources (7)
6 clinical guideline checks · 1 evidence registry check
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Depression in adults: treatment and management (NG222)
Recommendation for the stated population
NICE lists group MBCT as a relapse-prevention option, with or without continuing antidepressants according to preference.
Scope: People remitted on antidepressants alone and at higher relapse risk
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy
Discussed in the source
The archive lists Strong under 1998 criteria and pending 2015 re-evaluation.
Scope: MBCT; depression/relapse prevention evidence
- Depression in adults: treatment and management (NG222)
Recommendation for the stated population
NICE includes group mindfulness and meditation using a programme such as MBCT among treatment options. This is separate from its relapse-prevention recommendations.
Scope: Adults with a new episode of less severe depression; depression-specific group programme.
- Management of Major Depressive Disorder
Recommendation for the stated population
VA/DoD suggests mindfulness-based cognitive therapy among seven unranked psychotherapy options (weak for). Treatment strategy also depends on severity, chronicity, prior response and preference.
Scope: Adults with uncomplicated MDD choosing psychotherapy.
- Management of Major Depressive Disorder
Recommendation for the stated population
VA/DoD suggests MBCT during continuation treatment to reduce relapse or recurrence (weak for). CBT, IPT and MBCT are not ranked against one another.
Scope: Remitted MDD with high risk of relapse or recurrence.
- Clinical Practice Guideline for Management of Stroke Rehabilitation
Discussed in the source
VA/DoD weakly recommends mindfulness-based therapies and specifically reviews MBSR and MBCT. The recommendation is for the therapy family in this post-stroke population.
Scope: Depression following stroke.
- Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Depression Across Three Age Cohorts
Discussed in the source
APA includes MBCT among broadly comparable models; it cannot recommend a superior monotherapy.
Scope: Adults with depressive disorders, excluding psychotic depression; initial monotherapy selection.
Problem-Solving Therapy
D'Zurilla / Goldfried / Nezu · 1971
Reviewed population: Adults with uncomplicated MDD choosing psychotherapy.
VA/DoD 2022 recommendation 7 weakly suggests PST among unranked options. This treatment recommendation does not establish superior efficacy or address depression prevention across other clinical populations.
Reviewed
Guidelines and official sources (6)
5 clinical guideline checks · 1 evidence registry check
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Depression in adults: treatment and management (NG222)
Recommendation for the stated population
NICE includes problem-solving among treatment options. The format and choice depend on depression severity, clinical needs and patient preferences.
Scope: Adults with depression; guided self-help or individual problem-solving options.
- Problem-Solving Therapy for Depression
Discussed in the source
The archive records a 1998 strong rating and a 2015 status awaiting re-evaluation. These are evidence-registry classifications, separate from NICE’s recommendations.
Scope: Depression; historical Division 12 treatment ratings.
- Management of Major Depressive Disorder
Recommendation for the stated population
VA/DoD suggests problem-solving therapy among seven unranked psychotherapy options (weak for). Treatment strategy also depends on severity, chronicity, prior response and preference.
Scope: Adults with uncomplicated MDD choosing psychotherapy.
- Clinical Practice Guideline for Management of Stroke Rehabilitation
Insufficient evidence for or against
VA/DoD finds insufficient evidence for or against solution-focused psychological interventions, explicitly including problem-solving therapy. The finding is specific to post-stroke depression prevention.
Scope: Preventing the onset of depression following stroke.
- Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Depression Across Three Age Cohorts
Recommendation for the stated population
APA conditionally suggests the specified individual problem-solving treatments for these populations.
Scope: Older adults with MDD and executive dysfunction, or minor/MDD depression with dementia.
- mhGAP: brief structured psychological treatment for depression
Recommendation for the stated population
WHO includes problem-solving therapy among the structured psychological interventions that should be offered. The recommendation is strong, with moderate-certainty evidence.
Scope: Adults with moderate-to-severe depression, within the mhGAP non-specialist-care context.
Short-Term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
Davanloo / Sifneos / Malan · 1968
Reviewed population: Adults with uncomplicated major depressive disorder choosing psychotherapy.
VA/DoD 2022 recommendation 7 weakly suggests STPP among unranked psychotherapy choices. This source-specific treatment recommendation does not establish superiority or transfer to every brief psychodynamic variant, including ISTDP.
Reviewed
Guidelines and official sources (4)
4 clinical guideline checks
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Depression in adults: treatment and management (NG222)
Recommendation for the stated population
STPP is a named option using empirically validated depression protocols.
Scope: Adults with less or more severe depression
- Management of Major Depressive Disorder
Recommendation for the stated population
VA/DoD suggests short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy among seven unranked psychotherapy options (weak for). Treatment strategy also depends on severity, chronicity, prior response and preference.
Scope: Adults with uncomplicated MDD choosing psychotherapy.
- Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Depression Across Three Age Cohorts
Discussed in the source
APA lists psychodynamic therapies among comparable models; this does not separately grade every short-term protocol.
Scope: Adults with depressive disorders, excluding psychotic depression; the broad psychodynamic-therapy category.
- mhGAP: brief structured psychological treatment for depression
Recommendation for the stated population
WHO includes brief psychodynamic therapy among the structured psychological interventions that should be offered. The recommendation is strong, with moderate-certainty evidence.
Scope: Adults with moderate-to-severe depression, within the mhGAP non-specialist-care context.
Randomized studies (8)
These assessments describe randomized studies in the stated population. Randomized studies may include pilot or null findings; this label alone does not establish benefit.
Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy
James McCullough · 2000
Reviewed population: Adults with chronic nonpsychotic major depression; trials distinguish initial treatment, medication nonresponse and early-onset chronic depression without antidepressants.
Keller et al. (2000) randomized 681 adults: CBASP combined with nefazodone produced more responses than either alone after 12 weeks. In REVAMP (2009), adding CBASP to optimized medication for 491 initial nonremitters did not significantly improve depression outcomes over medication alone or supportive-therapy augmentation. A separate 268-person trial (2017) found CBASP superior to supportive psychotherapy on the 20-week primary depression measure in unmedicated early-onset chronic depression. These different treatment settings support randomized evaluation with mixed comparative results, not universal augmentation benefit or an assessment of every depressive presentation.
Reviewed
Guidelines and official sources (2)
1 clinical guideline check · 1 professional reference check
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Depression in adults: treatment and management, short version DRAFT
Discussed in the source
The draft named CBASP. Consultation material is not final guidance, and the final NG222 recommendations do not name CBASP.
Scope: Chronic depression and inadequate response in NICE’s July 2017 consultation draft.
- Depression in adults: treatment and management (NG222)
Discussed in the source
CBASP is not named in the final recommendation text inspected here. This does not establish its absence from all guideline evidence reviews or other organizations’ documents.
Scope: Final adult-depression recommendations in NG222.
Emotion-Focused Therapy
Leslie Greenberg · 1990
Reviewed population: Adults with MDD receiving Greenberg's individual EFT in Goldman et al. (2006).
This 42-person randomized comparison analyzed 38 completers. EFT had better depressive and general symptom outcomes than relational client-centered therapy, without a significant recovery-rate difference. Small sample, exclusions and possible researcher allegiance limit inference. This concerns individual EFT, not Johnson's couples therapy or tapping.
Reviewed
Guidelines and official sources (1)
1 evidence registry check
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Emotion-focused therapy for depression
Discussed in the source
The archive rates this treatment Modest under its 1998 criteria, with 2015 re-evaluation pending. This is an evidence-registry rating.
Scope: Emotion-focused therapy for depression
Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy
Habib Davanloo · 1980
Reviewed population: Adults with persistent major-depression symptoms despite at least six weeks of antidepressant treatment, in the 60-person secondary-care Halifax trial.
Town et al. (2017) randomized 20-session ISTDP against secondary-care treatment as usual. ISTDP improved the primary six-month observer-rated depression outcome more, with benefits on self-reported depression and remission measures. The small trial and routine-care comparator limit generalization to other providers, settings and active psychotherapies. This does not validate the catalogue's archived numerical estimates.
Reviewed
Metacognitive Therapy
Adrian Wells · 2009
Reviewed population: Adults with major depressive disorder in a Danish primary-care outpatient clinic, in Callesen et al.'s 2020 MCT-versus-CBT trial.
The trial randomized 174 adults; 155 remained after withdrawals of consent. MCT improved the self-reported BDI-II co-primary outcome more than CBT, but the observer-rated HDRS co-primary outcome did not differ significantly. The same pattern held at six-month follow-up. Only two therapists delivered treatment, and the MCT originator's involvement and post-randomization exclusions limit inference. The results support randomized evaluation with outcome-dependent findings, not unqualified superiority over CBT.
Reviewed
Guidelines and official sources (2)
2 clinical guideline checks
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Management of Major Depressive Disorder
Discussed in the source
VA/DoD discusses a metacognitive-therapy trial within CBT-package comparisons, without issuing a separate recommendation for Wells’s protocol or establishing its superiority.
Scope: Adults with MDD; Wells metacognitive therapy compared with CBT.
- Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) guideline for mental, neurological and substance use disorders
Discussed in the source
Metacognitive therapy is named in the reviewed third-wave therapy category. WHO recommends that category alongside other structured therapies; it does not give metacognitive therapy a separate recommendation or separate certainty rating here.
Scope: Adults with moderate-to-severe depression, within the mhGAP non-specialist-care context.
Person-Centered Therapy
Carl Rogers · 1951
Reviewed population: Adults with MDD receiving manualized relational client-centered therapy in Goldman et al. (2006).
The trial randomized 42 people and analyzed 38 completers. Both arms improved; EFT produced greater symptom reductions. This small active-comparator study does not establish client-centered therapy's equivalence to other therapies. Concurrent depression treatment and several complex presentations were excluded.
Reviewed
Guidelines and official sources (1)
1 clinical guideline check
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Depression in adults: treatment and management (NG222)
Discussed in the source
NICE names protocol-based counselling for depression. It does not name every Rogerian/person-centred approach, and its current categories are less and more severe depression.
Scope: Adults with less or more severe depression; validated depression counselling protocols
Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Thomas Lynch · 2018
Reviewed population: Adults with refractory or chronic major depression despite an adequate antidepressant trial, in the 250-person UK RefraMED trial.
RefraMED compared RO-DBT plus usual care with usual care alone. The primary 12-month observer-rated depression outcome did not differ significantly; neither did the 18-month outcome. Depression favored RO-DBT immediately after treatment at seven months, and psychological flexibility and emotional coping improved. Fewer participants were analyzed than planned, reducing power. This records a randomized add-on trial with a null primary endpoint, not sustained superiority or evidence for every depressive population.
Reviewed
Rumination-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Edward Watkins · 2016
Reviewed population: Adults with medication-refractory residual depression receiving individual RFCBT, and adult outpatients with major depression receiving group RFCBT alongside routine medical management.
Watkins et al. (2011) randomized 42 people to usual care with or without individual RFCBT; residual symptoms and remission favored the add-on, but the trial lacked an attention control. Hvenegaard et al. (2020) randomized 131 outpatients to group RFCBT or group CBT, both added to routine medical management. The primary post-treatment observer-rated depression outcome favored RFCBT, while post-treatment rumination and six-month depression did not differ significantly. These phase II findings do not establish a durable advantage or isolate the specific rumination mechanism.
Reviewed
Schema Therapy
Jeffrey Young · 1990
Reviewed population: Adults with major depression in Carter et al.'s 100-person schema-therapy-versus-CBT trial; chronic depression and comorbid personality disorder were additional subgroup analyses.
Carter et al. (2013) randomized participants to weekly schema therapy or CBT for six months, followed by monthly sessions for six months. The therapies did not differ significantly on key depression, remission or recovery outcomes; additional analyses did not identify differential effects for chronic depression or comorbid personality disorder. This preliminary active-comparator trial supports randomized evaluation, while a nonsignificant difference does not establish formal equivalence or specific superiority for chronic depression.
Reviewed
Source checks available — assessment pending (15)
Sources have been checked for this topic, but a condition-specific assessment has not been completed. Open the source notes to read each document’s population, recommendation and limitations.
Biofeedback
Various (Neal Miller / Kamiya / Green / Sterman / Schwartz) · 1960
Guidelines and official sources (1)
1 clinical guideline check
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Management of Major Depressive Disorder
Insufficient evidence for or against
VA/DoD finds insufficient evidence for or against adjunctive biofeedback. The discussion evaluates heart-rate-variability biofeedback; this is not a positive recommendation.
Scope: Adults with MDD; biofeedback added to usual treatment.
Buddhist Psychology / Contemplative Psychotherapy
Chögyam Trungpa / Jack Kornfield / Mark Epstein · 1974
Guidelines and official sources (2)
2 clinical guideline checks
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Management of Major Depressive Disorder
Discussed in the source
VA/DoD finds insufficient evidence for or against adjunctive meditation. The reviewed meditation programmes do not establish a recommendation for this broad contemplative psychotherapy approach.
Scope: Adults with MDD; adjunctive meditation.
- Management of Bipolar Disorder
Discussed in the source
VA/DoD finds insufficient evidence for or against adjunctive meditation. This does not establish a recommendation for a specific contemplative psychotherapy or for bipolar I.
Scope: Adults with bipolar II; adjunctive treatment of depressive episodes or symptoms.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Marsha Linehan · 1993
Guidelines and official sources (1)
1 clinical guideline check
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) guideline for mental, neurological and substance use disorders
Discussed in the source
DBT is named in the reviewed third-wave therapy category. WHO recommends that category alongside other structured therapies; it does not give DBT a separate recommendation or separate certainty rating here.
Scope: Adults with moderate-to-severe depression, within the mhGAP non-specialist-care context.
HeartMath
Doc Childre · 1991
Guidelines and official sources (1)
1 clinical guideline check
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Management of Major Depressive Disorder
Discussed in the source
VA/DoD finds insufficient evidence for adjunctive biofeedback, discussing HRV studies. It does not issue a HeartMath-specific recommendation or establish branded coherence claims.
Scope: Adults with MDD; adjunctive heart-rate-variability biofeedback.
Interpersonal Process Group Therapy
Irvin Yalom · 1970
Guidelines and official sources (1)
1 clinical guideline check
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Depression in adults: treatment and management (NG222)
Discussed in the source
NICE includes group CBT, behavioral activation and related structured approaches. Group format alone does not establish a recommendation for interpersonal process group therapy.
Scope: Specific structured group interventions for adult depression.
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
Various (Wolfson, Bennett) · 2010
Guidelines and official sources (4)
3 clinical guideline checks · 1 regulatory source check
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- SPRAVATO (esketamine) original prescribing information
Not a treatment recommendation
The historical drug indication is verified. It does not establish approval or guideline endorsement of KAP. This original label is not current prescribing information.
Scope: Esketamine nasal spray plus an oral antidepressant for adult TRD in 2019
- Management of Major Depressive Disorder
Discussed in the source
VA/DoD weakly suggests ketamine or esketamine augmentation. The recommendation concerns medication, not a named KAP psychotherapy protocol.
Scope: MDD after several adequate pharmacological trials have failed
- Management of Major Depressive Disorder
Discussed in the source
VA/DoD suggests against ketamine/esketamine as initial pharmacotherapy (weak against). Its separate augmentation recommendation concerns prior treatment failure; neither recommendation endorses a named KAP psychotherapy protocol.
Scope: Adults choosing initial medication treatment for MDD.
- Management of Bipolar Disorder
Discussed in the source
VA/DoD finds insufficient evidence for ketamine/esketamine alone or as adjuncts. The recommendation concerns medication and does not endorse KAP psychotherapy.
Scope: Adults with acute bipolar depression.
Life Review Therapy
Robert Butler · 1963
Guidelines and official sources (4)
4 clinical guideline checks
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Depression Across Three Age Cohorts: older adults
Recommendation for the stated population
APA recommends group life review, alone or added to usual care, over no treatment, with treatment selected through shared decision-making.
Scope: Adults aged 60 or older receiving initial treatment for major depressive disorder; group life review.
- Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Depression Across Three Age Cohorts
Recommendation for the stated population
APA conditionally suggests the group course for this comparison.
Scope: Older adults with subclinical depression; group life-review course versus an educational video.
- Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Depression Across Three Age Cohorts
Insufficient evidence for or against
APA reports insufficient evidence for this comparison; the separate group-treatment recommendation does not transfer automatically.
Scope: Older adults with subclinical depression; individual life review versus usual care.
- Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) guideline for mental, neurological and substance use disorders
Discussed in the source
Life review therapy was reviewed but explicitly omitted from the therapies recommended in DEP3 because of limited-certainty findings. This is not a formal recommendation against life review in every population.
Scope: Adults with moderate-to-severe depression, within the mhGAP non-specialist-care context.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
Jon Kabat-Zinn · 1979
Guidelines and official sources (1)
1 clinical guideline check
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Clinical Practice Guideline for Management of Stroke Rehabilitation
Discussed in the source
VA/DoD weakly recommends mindfulness-based therapies and specifically reviews MBSR and MBCT. The recommendation is for the therapy family in this post-stroke population.
Scope: Depression following stroke.
Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy
Griffiths / Carhart-Harris · 2016
Guidelines and official sources (2)
1 clinical guideline check · 1 regulatory source check
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- FDA accelerates action on treatments for serious mental illness following Executive Order
Not a treatment recommendation
FDA announced priority vouchers for psilocybin studies in April 2026. This establishes development activity, not approval or psychotherapy endorsement.
Scope: Companies studying psilocybin for TRD and MDD
- Management of Major Depressive Disorder
Recommendation against the stated use
VA/DoD strongly recommends against psilocybin for MDD outside research. This 2022 guideline used evidence through January 2021 and does not review subsequent trials.
Scope: Psilocybin for MDD outside research settings
Psychoanalysis
Sigmund Freud · 1895
Guidelines and official sources (1)
1 clinical guideline check
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Depression in adults: treatment and management (NG222)
Discussed in the source
NG222 names STPP, not classical long-term psychoanalysis. The distinction in the current text is supported.
Scope: Adults with depression; empirically validated short-term protocols
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy
Albert Ellis · 1955
Guidelines and official sources (2)
2 clinical guideline checks
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Depression in adults: treatment and management (NG222)
Discussed in the source
NICE lists CBT with specified delivery characteristics. This category-level recommendation does not separately identify REBT.
Scope: CBT options for adults with depression.
- Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Depression Across Three Age Cohorts
Discussed in the source
The guideline discusses these therapy categories and cites a REBT trial. This does not establish a separate REBT recommendation for every condition associated with the approach.
Scope: Cognitive and cognitive-behavioral therapies for adults with depression.
Relational Psychoanalysis
Stephen Mitchell / Lewis Aron · 1988
Guidelines and official sources (1)
1 clinical guideline check
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Depression in adults: treatment and management (NG222)
Discussed in the source
The recommendation concerns a specified treatment format. It does not separately identify relational psychoanalysis.
Scope: Short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy for adults with depression.
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
de Shazer / Insoo Kim Berg · 1985
Guidelines and official sources (1)
1 clinical guideline check
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Clinical Practice Guideline for Management of Stroke Rehabilitation
Discussed in the source
The guideline discusses SFBT among pooled psychological interventions and makes a neutral recommendation for the broader prevention category. It does not separately grade SFBT as a treatment for established depression.
Scope: SFBT included in the review of interventions to prevent depression following stroke.
Supportive Psychotherapy
Various (Rockland, Winston) · 1950
Guidelines and official sources (2)
2 clinical guideline checks
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Management of Major Depressive Disorder
Recommendation for the stated population
VA/DoD suggests considering non-directive supportive therapy in this defined situation (weak for). The recommendation does not make it the default first-line treatment.
Scope: Mild-to-moderate MDD; medication declined and first-line psychotherapy declined or inaccessible.
- Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Depression Across Three Age Cohorts
Discussed in the source
APA includes supportive therapy among broadly comparable models without selecting a superior monotherapy.
Scope: Adults with depressive disorders, excluding psychotic depression; initial monotherapy selection.
Trauma-Sensitive Yoga
David Emerson / van der Kolk · 2005
Guidelines and official sources (1)
1 clinical guideline check
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Management of Major Depressive Disorder
Discussed in the source
VA/DoD suggests adjunctive exercise, including yoga as an example (weak for). It does not name or separately recommend trauma-sensitive yoga.
Scope: Adults with MDD; exercise as adjunctive care.
Assessment not yet completed (48)
No completed assessment or source check for this topic is recorded yet.
Accelerated Resolution Therapy
Laney Rosenzweig · 2008
Acceptance-Based Behavior Therapy
Lizabeth Roemer / Susan Orsillo · 2002
Adlerian Therapy
Alfred Adler · 1912
Advanced Integrative Therapy
Asha Clinton · 2002
Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy
Diana Fosha · 2000
Analytical Psychology
Carl Jung · 1913
Attachment-Focused Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
Laurel Parnell · 2013
Bioenergetic Analysis
Alexander Lowen / Wilhelm Reich · 1956
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia
Bootzin / Spielman / Morin / Perlis · 1987
Circle of Security
Glen Cooper / Kent Hoffman / Bert Powell / Robert Marvin · 1998
Coherence Therapy
Ecker / Hulley · 1996
Collaborative Therapy
Harlene Anderson / Harold Goolishian · 1988
Compassion-Focused Therapy
Paul Gilbert · 2005
Compassionate Mind Training
Paul Gilbert · 2005
Contextual Therapy
Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy · 1973
Craniosacral Therapy
John Upledger · 1970
Dance/Movement Therapy
Marian Chace · 1942
Daseinsanalysis
Boss / Binswanger · 1942
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT Tapping)
Gary Craig · 1995
EMBARK
Brennan / Belser · 2022
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
Francine Shapiro · 1989
Emotion Regulation Therapy
Douglas Mennin & David Fresco · 2014
Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy
Sue Johnson · 2019
Existential Psychotherapy
Rollo May / Irvin Yalom · 1958
Functional Analytic Psychotherapy
Robert Kohlenberg / Mavis Tsai · 1991
Gestalt Therapy
Fritz & Laura Perls · 1951
Holotropic Breathwork
Stanislav Grof / Christina Grof · 1976
Internal Family Systems
Richard Schwartz · 1995
Imagery Rehearsal Therapy
Barry Krakow · 1995
Lacanian Psychoanalysis
Jacques Lacan · 1953
Lifespan Integration
Peggy Pace · 2003
Logotherapy
Viktor Frankl · 1946
Multimodal Therapy
Arnold Lazarus · 1976
Music Therapy
Nordoff / Robbins · 1950
Naikan Therapy
Ishin Yoshimoto · 1940
Narrative Therapy
Michael White / David Epston · 1990
Neurofeedback
Joe Kamiya / Barry Sterman / Joel Lubar · 1968
Neuro-Linguistic Programming
Richard Bandler & John Grinder · 1975
Pluralistic Therapy
Mick Cooper / John McLeod · 2011
Positive Psychotherapy
Nossrat Peseschkian · 1977
Primal Therapy
Arthur Janov · 1970
Process Group Therapy
Irvin Yalom · 1970
Psychedelic Somatic Interactional Psychotherapy
Saj Razvi · 2016
Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration
Various (Gorman, Nielson and colleagues) · 2021
Reality Therapy / Choice Theory
William Glasser · 1965
Relational-Cultural Therapy
Jean Baker Miller / Judith Jordan · 1976
Transactional Analysis
Eric Berne · 1958
Unified Protocol
David Barlow · 2011
Associated Frameworks (1)
These are conceptual or research frameworks. They are not ranked as treatment evidence.
Common Factors / Contextual Model
Saul Rosenzweig / Jerome Frank / Bruce Wampold · 1936
Additional Source References (6)
These source checks also address this topic. They are listed separately from the catalogue associations above. Read each source’s scope and direction; a mention may concern a related intervention or a neutral recommendation.
Clinical Hypnotherapy
Guidelines and official sources (1)
1 clinical guideline check
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Management of Major Depressive Disorder
Discussed in the source
The review discusses adding hypnotherapy to CBT under insufficient evidence for combining psychotherapy components. It does not recommend hypnotherapy alone or establish an added benefit.
Scope: Adults with MDD; hypnotherapy added to CBT.
Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples
Guidelines and official sources (1)
1 clinical guideline check
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Management of Major Depressive Disorder
Discussed in the source
VA/DoD suggests couples-focused therapy as a category (weak for), without preferring a model. Assess partner involvement and safety; this is not a separate endorsement of this named protocol.
Scope: Adults with mild-to-moderate MDD and significant relationship distress.
Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy
Guidelines and official sources (1)
1 clinical guideline check
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Management of Major Depressive Disorder
Discussed in the source
VA/DoD suggests couples-focused therapy as a category (weak for), without preferring a model. Assess partner involvement and safety; this is not a separate endorsement of this named protocol.
Scope: Adults with mild-to-moderate MDD and significant relationship distress.
MDMA-Assisted Therapy
Guidelines and official sources (1)
1 clinical guideline check
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Management of Major Depressive Disorder
Recommendation against the stated use
VA/DoD strongly recommends against MDMA for MDD outside research. This 2022 guideline used evidence through January 2021; it does not assess later trials or every diagnosis.
Scope: MDMA for MDD outside research settings.
Motivational Interviewing
Guidelines and official sources (1)
1 clinical guideline check
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Clinical Practice Guideline for Management of Stroke Rehabilitation
Insufficient evidence for or against
VA/DoD finds insufficient evidence for or against solution-focused psychological interventions, explicitly including MI. This neutral finding concerns prevention, not treatment of established depression.
Scope: Preventing the onset of depression following stroke.
Play Therapy
Guidelines and official sources (1)
1 clinical guideline check
Read the recommendation and its scope. A source may discuss an approach without recommending it.
- Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Depression Across Three Age Cohorts
Insufficient evidence for or against
APA found insufficient evidence for a play-therapy recommendation in this scope.
Scope: Children with depressive disorders; initial treatment.
Cases Featuring Associated Approaches
These teaching cases share approach links with this topic. They may illustrate a different presenting concern.
Reading This Page
Why are these approaches listed with Depression & Mood Disorders?
The catalogue associates 80 approaches and 1 frameworks with this topic. These links support learning and comparison; association alone is not a treatment recommendation or evidence of effectiveness.
How should I read the evidence assessments?
Assessments are specific to the population and scope stated on each card. They include a rationale, source links, and a review date. An overall review of an approach does not automatically apply to this condition, and a randomized-study label does not by itself mean that a study found benefit.
What does "Assessment not yet completed" mean?
A condition-specific assessment has not been recorded. Approaches with checked sources appear in a separate assessment-pending group; a checked source can support, oppose, or discuss an intervention without recommending it. Neither pending group means that no research exists or that the approach is ineffective. Frameworks are shown separately.
Sources and Review Scope
Source links and dates on assessment cards apply to the stated population and rationale. The clinical overview and prevalence text above are separate authored content; an approach's evidence label does not verify those statements. Recorded narrative notes and citations remain available on individual modality pages, with their review status identified. The bibliography provides further reading.