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The Sequential Combination of Pharmacotherapy and Psychotherapy in Mood Disorders

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Abstract

The aim of this review was to consider the literature concerned with a sequential use of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy in mood disorders. Review of the clinical trials where treatment components were used in a sequential order were identified by using MEDLINE, a manual search of the literature and the Index Medicus. In unipolar recurrent depression, the sequential use of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy was found to improve relapse rate. In bipolar disorder, the use of psychotherapeutic strategies in patients who were already assuming mood stabilizers was also found to yield clinical benefits. The sequential model has the potential for improving the logic and timing of interventions. A conceptual shift in current assessment methods (staging) is needed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Affective Disorders Program and Laboratory of Experimental Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Viale Berti Pichat 5, 40127, Bologna, Italy

    Elena Tomba & Giovanni A. Fava

  2. Department of Psychiatry, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA

    Giovanni A. Fava

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  1. Elena Tomba
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  2. Giovanni A. Fava
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Correspondence to Giovanni A. Fava.

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Tomba, E., Fava, G.A. The Sequential Combination of Pharmacotherapy and Psychotherapy in Mood Disorders. J Contemp Psychother 39, 101–109 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-008-9108-y

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