| The present study investigated the comparative effectiveness of Morita-based psychotherapy, a dietary Brain-Chemistry treatment approach, and combined Morita psychotherapy/Brain-Chemistry treatment as methods to relieve depression in an adult population. All sequential admissions meeting the research criteria were selected from outpatient mental health centers in New York and New Jersey. Eighty individuals meeting the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for either major depression or dysthymia participated in 8 once-weekly treatment sessions. Participants were assigned to Morita psychotherapy (MT, n = 20), dietary Brain-Chemistry treatment (BC, n = 20), combination Morita and Brain-Chemistry treatment (MTBC, n = 20), or a No-Treatment control group (NT, n = 20). Outcome measures included pre- and posttest scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), original drawings, the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), and the Global Assessment Scale (GAS). The combined Morita/Brain-Chemistry treatment was significantly more effective in reducing symptoms of depression and somatization while improving global functioning as compared to the No-Treatment control. In addition, Morita psychotherapy and Brain-Chemistry treatments were significantly more effective at improving global functioning as compared to the No-treatment control The results of the analyses further indicated that Morita psychotherapy was significantly more effective in reducing symptoms of depression than the No-Treatment control, while the Brain-Chemistry treatment was significantly more effective at reducing somatic symptoms than the No-Treatment control. |
