Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Randomised controlled trials. The length of treatment ranged from 4 to 11 weeks. The duration of the follow-up ranged from 1 to 6 months.
Specific interventions included in the review
Bibliotherapy. The patient takes a standardised treatment home, in book form, and works through it more or less independently. The following types of bibliotherapy were administered: cognitive-behavioural bibliotherapy; cognitive-behavioural bibliotherapy using a computer; cognitive and behavioural bibliotherapy plus social skills training; and cognitive bibliotherapy.
The control groups received either individual or group therapy, or were on a waiting-list to receive treatment.
Participants included in the review
The participants were recruited through announcements in the media. Four of the six studies used 'adults' while the remaining two used 'elderly'. The participants' diagnoses were not stated.
Outcomes assessed in the review
Depression was assessed using the following: the Beck Depression Inventory; the Hamilton Rating Scale of Depression; the Geriatric Depression Scale; the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale; the depression scale of the Symptom Checklist; the depression scale of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory; the depression scale of the Profile of Mood States; the Self-Rating of Depression Scale; the Clinical Rating of Depression Scale; the Significant Other Rating of Depression Scale; and the Zung Depression Scale.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The author does not state how the papers were selected for the review, or how many of the reviewers performed the selection.