There are many different types of treatment for depressive disorders. The two most important types are psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. There are, however, also many other kinds of treatments, such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and light therapy for seasonal affective disorders. In this entry, an overview of these treatments is given as well as the known effects of these therapies.

Psychotherapies

Psychotherapies (or psychological treatments) are interventions with a primary focus on language-based communication between a patient and a therapist.

Types

Many forms of psychotherapy have been developed to treat depression. Not all of them have been examined in well-designed randomized controlled trials. The ones that have been examined well and included in most treatment guidelines include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), interpersonal psychotherapy, problem-solving therapy, brief psychodynamic therapy, and ...

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