Treatment of Depressed Women Who Have Been Sexually Abused

The purpose of this study is to compare Schema-Focused Therapy plus antidepressant medication and antidepressant medication alone for the treatment of major depression in women with a history of childhood sexual abuse.

Schema-Focused (SF) Therapy is an extension of cognitive therapy that was developed to address the treatment needs of patients with long-standing mental disorders. SF therapy focuses on early maladaptive schemas (EMS): broad, pervasive themes regarding oneself and one's relationship with others, developed during childhood and elaborated throughout one's lifetime, which are dysfunctional to a significant degree. SF Therapy involves the identification of the particular EMS that is most relevant for each patient and attempts to modify the relevant schemas by altering the distorted views of self and others.

Participants are assessed pretreatment, after 12 weeks, posttreatment, and 3 and 6 months posttreatment. The severity of depressive symptomatology is measured and a self-report Beck Depression Inventory is administered. At the end of the study and at the follow-up intervals, participants are given the Longitudinal Interval Follow-up Evaluation, an instrument that assesses the severity of depression and dysthymia symptoms.

Inclusion criteria:

• Major depression
• History of childhood sexual abuse