Depressão: intervenção pela abordagem analítico- comportamental.

Abstract

This study aimed at functionally assess reports that indicating negative emotional states of two people diagnosed, by psychiatric medicine, as major depressive episode. Participated in this study a male person, 25 years old and one female, aged 23, who used antidepressant medications. The research was conducted in experimental therapeutic context. To evaluate the antecedents and the consequences of the reports of negative emotional states of the participants, we applied three methods such as (a) indirect functional evaluation, (b) functional evaluation through direct observation and (c) experimental functional evaluation, with using the experimental design of reversion with the first participant and reversion-replication, within follow-up for the second participant. This design was used to control the procedures during interventions in order to reduce reports of negative emocional states, to express in front of people for the first participant and to increase the frequency of desired behaviors for social interaction with second participant s husband. Another class of target behavior was to look away, however none specific consequence was scheduled, since the goal was to assess if the intervention s efficacy was extended to other classes. The results showed that reports of negative emotional states was reduced in its frequency, under differential reinforcement alternative effect (DRA). They also demonstrated the increasing frequency of expressing in front of people, as well as the desired behaviors for social interaction with the husband. The results also showed that the behavior of look away reduced frequency even if not have been applied an specific consequence for that behavior class. Consequently, they also demonstrated the importance of the procedures applied, such as functional assessment interviews and direct observation of target behaviors. The results indicated that depressive behaviors are a function of social environment and absense of appropriate repertoire for dealing with aversive events, when of the impossibility of liberation of other reinforcing agents. Therefore, besides having advanced the researche, the results corroborate with the literature of the area and its implications.