Comparative Efficacy of Cognitive Therapy and Pharmacotherapy in the Treatment of Depressed Outpatients

41 unipolar depressed outpatients were randomly assigned to treatment with either cognitive therapy or imipramine. As a group, the patients had been intermittently or chronically depressed with a mean period of 8.8 yrs since onset of their 1st depressive episode & 75% were suicidal. Cognitive therapy resulted in significantly greater improvement than did pharmacotherapy. Follow up contacts at 3 & 6 mo. indicate that treatment gains evident at termination were maintained over time. (27 refs)