"It takes time to see the whole picture": patients' views on improvement in cognitive behavioral therapy and psychodynamic therapy after three years.

Introduction: There is a lack of qualitative research that retrospectively explores how patients with major depressive disorder view their improvement in psychotherapy.

Methods: Fifteen patients who received short-term cognitive behavioral therapy and psychodynamic therapy were individually interviewed approximately three years after completing therapy.

Results: Some patients had altered their views on therapy, especially those who initially were uncertain of how helpful therapy had been.

The Synergistic Process of Improvement in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Major Depression.

Background: There is a substantial lack of qualitative research concerning individual cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). In the present study, we wanted to explore how patients suffering from MDD experience improvement in CBT.

Method: Patients with MDD ( = 10) were interviewed at therapy termination with semi-structured qualitative interviews.