EMDR for depression: A systematic review of controlled trials

This review summarizes literature before 2017 on the efficacy of EMDR in patients with depression.

Article Abstract

“Objective: Depression is one of the most common mental disorder, with huge societal costs. Although psychotherapy and medication can improve remission rates, the success rates of current treatments are limited. Given the recent research indicating that trauma and other adverse life experiences can be potential risk factors for depression, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) has been considered effective also in the treatment of depression. The aim of the present systematic review was to summarize current literature on EMDR efficacy in patients with depression.

Method: A literature search was undertaken using PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and CINAHL. Further research was performed on the specialized Fancine Shapiro Library collection. Controlled studies with depression as a primary outcome published up to March 2017 were included.

Results: Seven studies were included, of which 6 were published. They cover years from 2001-2016. Three studies used a controlled design and four were randomized clinical trials. Studies differed greatly for population and intervention characteristics, with a scarce methodological quality.

Conclusions: Controlled studies evaluating the efficacy of EMDR in treating depression as a primary outcome are few and with various methodological flaws. Despite further, better designed research is needed, current evidence suggests that EMDR could be a promising therapy to treat depression.”

—Description from publisher

Article Access

Open Access

Carletto, S., Ostacoli, L., Colombi, N., Calorio, L., Oliva, F., Fernandez, I., & Hofmann, A. (2017). EMDR for depression: A systematic review of controlled trials. Clinical Neuropsychiatry, 14(5), 306-312. Open access: https://www.clinicalneuropsychiatry.org/download/emdr-for-depression-a-systematic-review-of-controlled-studies/ 

About the Journal

“The aim of the journal is to critically (without ideological bias) evaluate the current achievements in every field of neuropsychiatry, particularly illness course and treatment effectiveness. It is very important to know how a patient could be defined as improved or recovered, how long treatment has to last when therapy works, and for whom. These are fundamental issues for Clinical Neuropsychiatry.”

—Description from publisher