An Open, Multisite Pilot Study of Cognitive Therapy for Depressed Adolescents

¹ University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, and University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Dr. Belsher, Department of Psychology, Holy Cross Hospital, 2210-2 Street, S.W., Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2S 1S6.

In a 12-session open trial of cognitive therapy, depressed adolescent outpatients showed significant decreases in depressive symptomatology, although there was less improvement in a subgroup with comorbid attention-deficit hyperactivity or schizoid personality disorder. Decreases on measures of depressive symptoms and depressotypic cognition were maintained up to 5 months after acute-phase treatment. Outcome was not associated with age, gender, other comorbid diagnoses, concurrent use of antidepressants, duration of acute-phase therapy, or participation in subsequent booster sessions. Data suggest that cognitive therapy is a promising intervention for depressed adolescents and provide a rationale for pursuit of controlled cognitive therapy trials with this population.