Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) optimizes the complex positive affect route in patients with depression

Summary

Psychotherapy as well as pharmacotherapy improve symptoms by reducing negative affect in patients with depression; however, the effect of enhancing positive affect is limited, and it does not always lead to recovery from depression. The research group led by Yuri Ito, Sadao Otsuka, Toshiya Murai, and their colleagues (Kyoto University) investigated the relationships between these affects and symptoms, as well as quality of life, in patients with depression who received cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). This study found that there are two independent routes through which depression treatment improves symptoms and quality of life, i.e., reduction of negative affect and enhancement of positive affect. Furthermore, the study reported that CBT for depression works to improve symptoms and quality of life by optimizing the complex positive affect route (i.e., the complex relationship between positive affect and these outcomes), which is associated with prolonged depression. The present findings contribute to overcoming the challenges of conventional treatments focusing only on negative affect, such as relapse and treatment-resistance.
 

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