Web-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Blended With Face-to-Face Sessions for Major Depression: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Meta-analyses of several randomized controlled trials have shown that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has comparable efficacy to antidepressant medication, but therapist availability and cost-effectiveness is a problem.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Web-based CBT blended with face-to-face sessions that reduce therapist time in patients with major depression who were unresponsive to antidepressant medications.

Methods: A 12-week, assessor-masked, parallel-group, waiting- list controlled, randomized trial was conducted at 3 medical institutions in Tokyo.

Potential predictors of delay in initial treatment contact after the first onset of depression in Japan: a clinical sample study.

Background: A growing body of evidence shows that reducing the duration of untreated illness (DUI) correlates with improved clinical outcome and course of depression. However, the factors involved in delaying treatment contact after the first onset of lifetime depression are not fully understood. This cross-sectional study aims to identify the characteristics that may predict the delay in initial treatment contact after the first onset of lifetime depression by comparing the socio-demographics and clinical characteristics between those with longer and shorter DUI in a well-characterized Japanese clinical sample.