Mentalization-based treatment for depression in adolescence

The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of developing the mentalization capacity in the psychotherapy of an adolescent aged 18 who presented with depressive symptoms. The study had a qualitative and exploratory approach, adopting the single case study procedure. The psychotherapy lasted six months, and before and after that the patient was assessed with the Children's Depression Inventory to survey depression indicators and a structured interview, on which we applied a Checklist to assess her mentalization capacity. The results showed that the patient had an impaired mentalization capacity at the beginning of treatment, and that capacity could be developed over the psychotherapy, contributing to the reduction of depressive symptoms.