Recovery From Depression—A 6-Month Follow-up of a Randomized Controlled Study of Manual-Based Phenomenological Art Therapy for Persons With Depression

Abstract

Manual-based phenomenological art therapy (PATd) was developed to facilitate recovery from depression. The study’s aim was to investigate whether improvements were maintained 6 months after PATd was completed. In a randomized controlled study design, persons diagnosed with moderate or severe depression (n = 85) were invited to take part; n = 79 participated and were allocated either to intervention (n = 43) or control (n = 36). The control group received treatment as usual, while the intervention received PATd in addition to treatment as usual. Wilcoxon Signed Rank tests, t-tests, and regression models were employed. Reduced depression, improvements in self-esteem, suicide ideation, and returning to work were sustained in the 6-month follow-up. This study indicates that PATd supports more rapid recovery, while improvement is sustained over time.