Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing for depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis
This review summarizes the evidence of EMDR for depression, which shows that one-third of people with depression could benefit from EMDR.
Article Abstract
“Background: In recent years, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) has been applied to different psychiatric conditions beyond post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and an increasing number of studies have evaluated its effect on depression. To date, no quantitative synthesis of the efficacy of EMDR on depression has been conducted.
Objective: To meta-analytically review the studies on EMDR for depression as the primary target for treatment.
Method: Studies with a controlled design evaluating the effect of EMDR on depression were searched on six electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane database, and Francine Shapiro Library) and then selected by two independent reviewers. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted.
Results: Eleven studies were included for qualitative synthesis. Nine studies were included in the meta-analysis, involving 373 participants. The overall effect size of EMDR for depressive symptoms is large (n = 9, Hedges’ g = – 1.07; 95%CI [–1.66; – 0.48]), with high heterogeneity (I2 = 84%), and corresponds to a ‘number needed to treat’ of 1.8. At follow-up (range 3–6 months), the effect remains significant but moderate (n = 3, Hedges’ g = – 0.62; 95%CI [–0.97; – 0.28]; I2 = 0%). The effect of EMDR compared with active controls is also moderate (n = 7, g = – 0.68; 95%CI [–0.92; – 0.43]; I2 = 0%). No publication bias was found, although the results are limited by the small number and poor methodological quality of the included studies.
Conclusions: Review findings suggest that EMDR may be considered an effective treatment for improving symptoms of depression, with effects comparable to other active treatments. However, findings need to be interpreted in light of the limited number of the studies and their quality. Further research is required to understand the longer-term of effects EMDR in treating depression and preventing depression relapse.”
—Description from publisher
Article Access
Open Access
Carletto, S., Malandrone, F., Berchialla, P., Oliva, F., Colombi, N., Hase, M., Hofmann, A., & Ostacoli, L. (2021). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing for depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 12, 1894736. Open access: https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2021.1894736
About the Journal
“The European Journal of Psychotraumatology publishes research on how to understand, prevent and treat the consequences of stress, trauma and violence.”
—Description from publisher
Date
April 9, 2021
Creator(s)
Sara Carletto, Francesca Malandrone, Paola Berchialla
Contributor(s)
Francesco Oliva, Nicoletta Colombi, Michael Hase, Arne Hofmann, Luca Ostacoli
Topics
Depression
Practice & Methods
Efficacy
Extent
14 pages
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Rights
© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
APA Citation
Carletto, S., Malandrone, F., Berchialla, P., Oliva, F., Colombi, N., Hase, M., Hofmann, A., & Ostacoli, L. (2021). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing for depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 12, 1894736. Open access: https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2021.1894736
Audience
EMDR Therapists, Other Mental Health Professionals
Language
English
Content Type
Article, Meta-analyses/Systematic Reviews
Access Type
External Resource, Open Access
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