Psychotherapy alone and combined with pharmacotherapy in the treatment of depression.

Background: The relative efficacy of psychotherapy and combined therapy in the treatment of depression is still a matter of debate.

Aims: To investigate whether combined therapy has advantages over psychotherapy alone.

Method: A 6-month randomised clinical trial compared Short Psychodynamic Supportive Psychotherapy (n=106) with combined therapy (n=85) in ambulatory patients with mild or moderate major depressive disorder diagnosed using DSM-IV criteria.