The Efficacy of Self-Examination Therapy and Cognitive Bibliotherapy in the Treatment of Mild to Moderate Depression

To determine the efficacy of two self-administered treatments in the treatment of mild to moderate depression, thirty-two middle aged adults volunteered for a study in which they were randomly assigned to either cognitive bibliotherapy, self-examination therapy, or a wait list control group. After a one-month wait, participants in the wait list control group received one of the two self-administered treatments. Analyses indicated that participants in cognitive bibliotherapy and self-examination therapy differed significantly from participants in the wait list control group, and symptomatic improvement in these two groups was maintained for two months after treatment ended. The wait list control group also showed improvement in depressive symptoms after receiving one of the self-administered treatments. Cognitive bibliotherapy and self-examination therapy were nondifferentially efficacious. The brevity and flexibility of self-examination therapy suggests that this self-administered treatment may be a viable alternative in the treatment of several mental disorders.