CBT to Treat Depression in Renal Patients

Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease in Hemodialysis and With Depression

The purpose of this study is to determine whether Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is effective in the treatment of depression in patients with end-stage renal disease in hemodialysis therapy

Depression is a persistent problem among patients with end-stage renal disease and it does not tend to improve over time. The implementation of effective interventions to treat and prevent recurrence of depressive episodes is needed. The objectives of this study are: 1)the detection of Major Depression in hemodialysis patients; 2)to allocate patients with depression in two groups: structured program of treatment with CBT (group therapy)and control group (conventional psychotherapy at the dialysis unit); and 3)to verify whether after 3 months of CBT there was a remission of depressive symptoms and a improvement of the quality of life in the CBT group.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients with a diagnosis of Chronic renal disease (end stage) in hemodialysis for at least 3 months
• Diagnosis of Major depression disorder (4 or more clinical criteria in MINI and a BDI score of 10 or more)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients in process of renal transplant with (living donor)
• Psychiatric comorbidity
• Cognitive impairment or mental retardation
• Current substance abuse
• Heart failure, angina pectoris, arrhythmias