Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Therapy in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder

Background: Depression is one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders that imposes a heavy economic, emotional and social burden on patients, families and society.
Objectives: The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and cognitive therapy (CT) in treating Iranian women patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).
Methods: Nineteen women outpatients meeting DSM-IV-TR criteria for MDD without any axis 2 disorders were randomly (goal-oriented and convenience sampling) assigned to one of two treatment conditions, i.e. ACT and CT. The intervention in acceptance and commitment therapy group that was conducted was based on the Zeattle manual for major depressive disorder. Twelve therapeutic sessions were administered in the consulting center of Tehran university twice a week. The control group received 12 sessions of cognitive therapy based on Ferry manual twice a week in the consulting center of Tehran university, too. The Beck depression inventory-II-second edition (BDI-II), acceptance and act questionnaire (AAQ-II) and dysfunctional attitude scale (DAS) were administered for pre-treatment, post-treatment and follow-up. The data was analyzed by repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA).
Results: ANCOVA results showed that there were significant differences between ACT and CT in dysfunctional attitude. The ACT group demonstrated significant improvement in acceptance in the pre-test and post-test stage. All the participants demonstrated significant improvement in depression.
Conclusions: As ACT improved depression and acceptance of internal experiences, it is recommended for depression as an effective psychotherapy.