Sequential use of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy in mood disorders.

In the past decade, several investigations have suggested the usefulness of a sequential way of integrating pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy in mood disorders. The aims of this article were: a) to introduce the clinical rationale for integrating treatments in a sequential order; b) to update the literature on clinical trials where pharmacotherapy followed by psychotherapy was used in a sequential order, both in unipolar depression and bipolar disorder; c) to examine the implications of this approach for psychiatric practice with special reference to assessment.