A construção do abandono em psicoterapia: a vivência de pacientes em um ensaio clínico

Abstract

The present study was prompted by the phenomenon of treatment dropout by participants of a clinical trial on efficacy of two models of brief cognitive psychotherapy for depression. This research sought to understand the ongoing experience that led subjects to abandon therapy, and its given meaning. The intentional sample consisted of seven subjects who dropped out of treatment after the fourth session. In-depth interview method was used to collect data, while phenomenological research method in psychology was used for analysis and interpretation. The study concluded that subjects path from treatment start to dropout was marked by a lack of clarity about their own mental health status, complicated by limitations imposed through clinical trial context and intensified by subjects depressive habituality