Depression and Deficiencies of Intimacy and Community Integration in Older Patients

Abstract

Patients with depressive disorder may exhibit similar clinical symptoms, but their personal descriptors can be sometimes quite different in terms of existential expectations, basic needs, and motivational structure. And while it is true that medication can be widely used to treat same therapeutic class in order to restore neurotransmitter homeostasis, psychotherapy approach must take into account all the symptoms which are unique for each individual. In this regard, our expertise has emphasized two major needs to point out a patient with depressive disorder’s response to therapy: the need for community integration, and the need for intimacy. We aim to demonstrate the finding that introverts (defined by a greater need for intimacy) tend to react better to individual therapy as opposed to extroverts (defined by a greater need for community integration) who tend to prefer group therapy.