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Adding Group Psychotherapy to Medication Treatment in Dysthymia

A Randomized Prospective Pilot Study

Received August 11, 1999; revised November 17, 2000; accepted January 11, 2001. From the Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Medical Center, and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York. Address correspondence to Dr. Hellerstein, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Unit 101, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032.

Patients with dysthymia have been shown to respond to treatment with antidepressant medications, and to some degree to psychotherapy. Even patients successfully treated with medication often have residual symptoms and impaired psychosocial functioning. The authors describe a prospective randomized 36-week study of dysthymic patients, comparing continued treatment with antidepressant medication (fluoxetine) alone and medication with the addition of group therapy treatment. After an 8-week trial of fluoxetine, medication-responsive subjects were randomly assigned to receive either continued medication only or medication plus 16 sessions of manualized group psychotherapy. Results provide preliminary evidence that group therapy may provide additional benefit to medication-responding dysthymic patients, particularly in interpersonal and psychosocial functioning.

Key Words: Dysthymia • Group Therapy • Pharmacotherapy

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