Background: Chronic depression is a common disorder in secondary care. Treatment results for this group of depressed patients are often disappointing and the existing treatment protocols are insufficiently tailored to chronic MDD. For this reason, an effective psychotherapeutic treatment will constitute a welcome addition to the range of treatments currently available for chronically depressed patients.
Aim: To describe 'cognitive behavioral analysis system of psychotherapy' (CBASP), the first form of psychotherapy specifically designed for the treatment of chronic depression.
Method: This article describes the evidence, rational and the most important techniques of CBASP.
Results: In the United States CBASP has proven to be effective in one trial. As a result of these findings, CBASP is recommended in the Dutch treatment guidelines as an evidence-based treatment option for chronic depression. However, the findings have not yet been replicated and little is known about possible ways of implementing CBASP in the Netherlands. For this reason a randomised controlled trial on the effectiveness of CBASP has started in three psychiatric hospitals in the Netherlands.
Conclusion: CBASP is recommended as a treatment option for chronic depression in the Dutch treatment guidelines, but evidence should be further supported by additional research.