EMDR as a treatment for long term depression: a feasibility study

Objective. Current treatments for long-term depression – medication and psy-chotherapy – are effective for some but not all clients. New approaches need to bedeveloped to complement the ones already available. This study was designed to test thefeasibility of using an effective post-traumatic stress disorder treatment for people withlong-term depression.

Design. A single-case experimental design with replications was undertaken as afeasibility study of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) in treatinglong-term depression.

Methods. Thirteen people with recurrent and/or long-term depression were recruitedfrom primary care mental health services and given standard protocol EMDR for amaximum of 20 sessions. Levels of depression were measured before and after treatmentand at follow-up, clients also rated their mood each day.

Results. Eight people engaged with the treatment; seven of these had clinically significantand statistically reliable improvement on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. Dailymood ratings were highly variable both during baseline and intervention.

Conclusions. EMDR is a feasible treatment for recurrent and/or long-term depression.Research on treatment efficacy and effectiveness is now required.