One of the most common psychiatric disorders in the United States is major depression. It can inhibit one’s daily functioning, regardless of age. Due to the high prevalence of the disorder, there’s an abundance of research aimed at discovering effective and efficient treatments. In this article, the researchers look at past literature that focus on the efficacy of family therapy for depression in multiple studies.  

Based on six studies, family therapy is more effective when compared to no treatment/waiting list. However, when compared to group/behavioral/cognitive interventions, there was no clear conclusion that family therapy is better/as effective as these other treatments. This does not mean it’s not used in treatment, in fact it’s used widely for many patients, but only when clinicians deem it useful. More research is needed to determine if family therapy is the best treatment for individuals with major depression.  

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Ashley Bejar, UConn KIDS Research Assistant 

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