Question
Question: How effective is sequential use of psychotherapy following pharmacotherapy in adults with major depressive disorder (MDD)?
Outcomes: Primary outcome: rates or recurrence of MDD symptoms (according to different diagnostic measures).
Methods
Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.
Data sources: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library up to December 2008; hand searching of bibliographies; direct contact with selected experts to identify studies. The search strategy was broad, and terms included drugs and psychotherapy, sequential treatment, combined treatment, continuation or maintenance, relapse or recurrence and prevention, depress* or major depress*.
Study selection and analysis: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of psychotherapy in patients with successful response to acute-phase pharmacology. Study selection was limited to trials in adults with MDD. Studies were excluded if the psychotherapy was not delivered face to face, the outcome was not coded categorically, the participants were under 18 or the study group was focused exclusively…