Outcomes for Depressed and Anxious Inpatients Discharged Before or After Group Cognitive Behavior Therapy: A Naturalistic Comparison.

Treatment outcomes for psychiatric inpatients with a primary diagnosis of a depressive or anxiety disorder who completed a cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) program while inpatients or when discharged were examined. Of 340 inpatients, 197 had been discharged to day patient status before the end of the CBT program, and 143 remained as inpatients. Data were collected before and after the CBT program and at 3-month follow-up. There was a significant improvement by posttreatment in self-esteem, locus of control, anxiety, depression, and stress, and these gains were maintained at 3-month follow-up. In addition, anxious, but not depressed, patients who completed CBT as day patients demonstrated greater improvements from after the CBT program to follow-up than those treated as inpatients. Possible reasons for the beneficial effects of completing the CBT as a day patient rather than an inpatient are discussed, and threats to the validity of this naturalistic study are considered.