Effectiveness of Acceptance-Commitment Therapy on Anxiety and Depression among Patients on Methadone Treatment: A Pilot Study

Substance dependence disorder is a psychiatric disorders with different factors that influence its nature, severity, outcome, and treatment options. This study evaluates the effectiveness of Acceptance-Commitment Therapy (ACT) to decrease anxiety and depression in patients with opioid dependencies who are undergoing methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). The present study was done in Mashhad from 2011-2012. Twenty-eight patients (18-50 yr) with opioid dependency who were on MMT were selected using purposive sampling and were divided equally between case and control groups. The case group received 8 sessions of individual psychotherapy with ACT. The level of depression and anxiety of these patients were measured using the Beck Depression Inventory-II and Beck Anxiety Inventory before the initiation of ACT as a pretest, 2 weeks after the termination of ACT as the posttest, and 3-months after the termination as a follow-up. The collected data was analyzed with SPSS (ver. 20) using χ2, paired t-test, ANOVA, and MANOVA. The pretest-posttest-follow up of anxiety showed no significant differences between the two groups (P = 0.05); however, the case group had lower depression scores in the posttest and follow-up than the control group (P = 0.04). Evaluating the results of the case group revealed that depression significantly decreased in the posttest group when compared to the pretest (P = 0.01) and there were no significant decreases in the follow up compared to the pretest (P = 0.34). Short-term ACT for opioid dependent patients on MMT are not associated with a significant decrease in the level of anxiety; however, it is associated with a significant decrease in the level of depression. Nonetheless, this reduction was not maintained long term.