The Effect of Schema Therapy in Patients with Recurrent Depression Disorder: A Single-Case Study

Schema theory is developed for patients with chronic psychological problems who have not achieved significant success in cognitive therapy. Although this approach has been applied mostly to personality disorders, it can also be a useful treatment for depression disorder. Therefore, the aim of this study is to show whether or not schema therapy is effective in the treatment of recurrent major depressive symptoms. This single-case experimental study is carried out with the method of multiple baseline on six patients who are all diagnosed with primarily a DSM-IV recurrent depression disorder. Patients are tested in four points in time; pre-treatment, in the 4th session, the 8th session, and the 12th session (post-treatment). Instruments used are Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Short Form of Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ) and Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorder (SCID-I). The findings show that schema therapy plays a role in improving the symptoms of recurrent depression disorder and early maladaptive schema during the treatment. The results of the present study indicate that schema therapy could be effective in treating recurrent depression disorder. Thus, by identifying depressive schemas, they can be treated and reformed with interventions focused on the schema.