Cognitive therapy for depression: conceptual issues and clinical efficacy.

Cognitive therapy has emerged as 1 of the most promising psychosocial interventions for the treatment of depression. It appears to be at least the equal of alternative interventions (including pharmacotherapy) with respect to acute treatment. In addition, there are indications that it may reduce risk of symptom return after treatment termination. Nonetheless, design limitations reduce the certainty with which such conclusions can be drawn. Furthermore, tests of its efficacy have largely been limited to nonbipolar outpatient (or subclinical) samples. At this time, cognitive therapy is best considered a promising, but as yet not adequately tested, intervention for the treatment of depression.