Effects of cognitive behavioral group therapy in male opioid dependent patients comorbid with major depressive disorder

The main aim of this study was suggestion of a manual for group therapy based on cognitive behavioral therapy in opioid dependent patients co-morbid with major depressive disorder.
Materials and Methods: In this semi-experimental research, 30 subjects were collected from some addiction treatment centers in Mashhad, north-eastern part of Iran. All of them gave opioid dependence and major depressive disorder via Structured Clinical Interview based on DSM-IV (SCID). They were randomly allocated into control and experimental groups (each group included 15 subjects). Beck Depression Inventory II and Morphine test were used at first and end of study. After 12 sessions in case group (control group did not receive cognitive-behavioral intervention) data were analyzed by χ² and U Mann-Whitney tests.
Results: The difference of relapse rate between experimental group and control group was statistically significant (P<0.001). The depression rates in experimental and control groups showed significant decreases at the end of study (P<0.001).
Conclusion: Using group therapy with cognitive behavioral approach is effective in patients with co-morbidity of major depressive disorder and opioid dependency.