[Psychotherapy for depression].

Research on the treatment of depression has shown that both pharmacological and psychosocial interventions are equally efficacious in mild depression as well as moderate and severe depression. Combined psychosocial and pharmacological interventions are also thought to be effective even for severe and chronic depression. Among psychosocial treatments, cognitive behavior therapy, behavior therapy, and interpersonal psychotherapy have been proved to effective. Cognitive behavior therapy is a structured short-term therapy designed to change the patient's negatively distorted cognition. Behavior therapy is a therapy developed based on the understanding that depression is related to a decrease of behaviors that produce positive reinforcement. Interpersonal psychotherapy is a form of short-term therapy to focus on the patient's interpersonal relations with significant others.