BECKS COGNITIVE THERAPY IN DEPRESSED CHRO NIC-PATIENTS NONRESPONDER TO PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT

Beck's cognitive therapy in depressed chronic patients non responder t o pharmacological treatment. A cognitive therapy based on Beck's model was performed on 25 depressed outpatients. Each patient followed a co urse of 15 sessions with the same therapist. In order to reach some fa ctors capable to predict a possible response to this therapy an evalua tion was undertaken. A clinical assessment based on DSM III-R criteria and Hamilton's scales and a cognitive and psychometric assessment. Ev ery patient was reexamined one year after begining of the therapy. Pat ients could be classified in three groups. The first group still not d epressed. The second group included subjects who could have suffered o f short depressive episods. The third group showed an incomplete impro vement. The result of therapy in these patients was not influenced by age, sere and intellectuel level. Furthermore the first group was cara cterised by a higher level Hy in MMPI and the third group by higher sc ores Pt, D1, D4. These results are encouraging to apply cognitive ther apy in chronical depressed patients resistant to pharmacological treat ment.