The Effect of Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) on Emotional Suppression and Negative Affect in Patients with Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Single-Subject Study

Emotional suppression and the experience of negative affect are the main problems of patients with treatment-resistant depression. In previous research, Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) has been recognized as one of the effective methods in patients with treatment-resistant depression. However, the role of ISTDP in emotional suppression and negative affect is not clear in these patients. The present study aimed to explore the effectiveness of intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy in the treatment of emotional suppression and negative affect using a single subject study. Three patients with treatment-resistant depression diagnosis were selected from psychotherapy clinics in Tabriz-Iran. In the next step, participants have undergone ten one-hour long sessions of intensive short-term dynamic therapy. After each intervention process, participants filled the Weinberger Adjustment Inventory (WAI) and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS). Results showed that intensive short-term dynamic therapy led to a reduction of negative affect and emotional suppression. Accordingly, it could be concluded that ISTDP is an effective method for ameliorating negative affect and emotional suppression in treatment-resistant depression.