Efficacy of hypnotherapy compared to cognitive behavioral therapy for mild to moderate depression – Results of a randomized controlled rater-blind clinical trial

Journal of Affective Disorders
15-6-2021
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Efficacy of hypnotherapy compared to cognitive behavioral therapy for mild to moderate depression – Results of a randomized controlled rater-blind clinical trial

Summary: In this study, researchers investigated whether hypnotherapy (HT) is as effective as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in treating mild to moderate major depression (MD). The study involved a randomized controlled rater-blind clinical trial with 152 patients diagnosed with MD. Participants were assigned to either CBT or HT, receiving individual psychotherapy over six months. The primary outcome was the percentage improvement in depressive symptoms measured using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). The results indicated that HT was non-inferior to CBT in reducing depressive symptoms. Both the intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses supported this finding. Notably, the study did not include a control group without treatment due to ethical reasons, but the rigorous methodology strengthens the evidence for HT’s efficacy in treating MD.