A new study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry investigated the clinical effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for older adults in primary care. A total of 204 men and women aged 65 years or older with geriatric depression were randomly assigned to one of three groups: treatment as usual (TAU), TAU plus a talking control (TC), and TAU plus CBT. The CBT and TC treatments were offered over a period of four months and participants were followed up at 10 months. Depressive levels were measured with the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) at baseline, at four months (the end of therapy), and again at 10 months. Based on BDI-II scores per session, a significant benefit of CBT versus the TAU and TC was observed, pointing to CBT as an effective treatment for depression in older adults.
This study was the largest CBT study conducted by general practitioner of their patients.