Treatment for Chronic Depression: Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP)

This volume describes the Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP), a research-based approach designed to motivate chronically depressed patients to change and to help them develop needed problem-solving and relationship skills. Integrating elements of cognitive-behavioral and interpersonal therapy, this approach has been shown to be as effective as medication treatment in a recent 12-site national study with 681 chronically depressed outpatients. Even more significant, a combination of CBASP and pharmacotherapy produced a response rate of 85%--unprecedented for any large-scale randomized clinical trial of its kind--and demonstrated for the first time the superiority of combination treatment to either psychotherapy or pharmacotherapy alone. Filled with detailed case examples, the volume presents clear, step-by-step guidelines for using CBASP. Also discussed are ways to measure treatment outcomes; issues in research, training, and supervision; and managing common crises and problems in treatment.

James P. McCullough, Jr., PhD, is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and was elected a Diplomate in Clinical Psychology by the American Board of Psychological Forensic Examiners. He is is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he served on the faculty for 45 years. An award-winning educator and researcher, Dr. McCullough's areas of special interest are dysthymia, double depression, and chronic major depression, particularly diagnostic criteria; unipolar diagnostic category psychosocial comparisons; and cognitive and single-case methodology evaluating both private practice and research.