A Review of Combined Psychotherapy and Pharmacotherapy in the Treatment of Depression

¹ Cornell University Medical College and the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York.

The effectiveness of combined psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy for depression is a clinical issue of increasing importance. Using a box score approach, the authors review the 17 available studies in the literature, provide a methodological critique, summarize results, and suggest directions for further research and for clinical practice. Overall, given methodological limitations in the existing literature, it appears that combined treatment is no less effective than psychotherapy or pharmacotherapy alone and may have specific advantages for subpopulations of depressed patients.