Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Islam-Based Interventions (IBIs) and Pharmacotherapy (PTh) for Patients with Major Depressive Disorder-Mild (MDD-m): A Randomized Control Trial

Abstract

Present study aims to investigate the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy (PTh), cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), and Islam-based interventions (IBIs) to treat symptoms severity of patients MDD-m. This RCT was completed from December 20, 2020, to October 31, 2021, at different hospitals in Faisalabad, Pakistan. A total of 287 were approached, 204 were assessed for eligibility, and 158 met the inclusion criteria, including males 71(44.94%) and females 87(55.06%) with the age range of 22 to 46 years. Findings reported all treatment conditions (i.e. PTh, CBT, & IBIs) significantly reduced depressive symptoms severity (p<.001) and negative mood affects (p<.001) and significantly improved the level of memory (p<.001), reasoning ability (p<.001), decision-making skills (p<.001), self-esteem (p<.001), and wellbeing (p<.001) as compared to the waitlist-control group. Multiple groups comparison reported significant differences across the groups. Moreover, significant symptoms change was observed after treatment which indicates all treatment conditions produced outstanding outcomes. It is concluded that all the treatment conditions substantially decreased the depressive symptoms and negative mood as compared to waitlist-control group. These treatment condition significantly improved the quality of life, memory and decision-making skills in daily life functioning. This indicates PTh, CBT and IBIs are reliable and evidence-based practices to treat MDD-m.

Keywords: Major Depressive Disorder-Mild, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Islamic Intervention, Pharmacotherapy, Memory, Decision-Making Skills, Self-Esteem