Scientometrics Research Journal

Scientometrics Research Journal

Scientometric and Knowledge Mapping of Therapeutic Approaches in Depression Research

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
mahnaz kamani 1
Mohammadreza Abedi 2
Sima Andalib 3
1 MA. in Information Science and Knowledge Studies, University of Isfa-han, Isfahan, Iran
2 Professor, Department of Counseling, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Isfahan, Iran
3 PhD in Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch (Tehran), Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
10.22070/rsci.2025.20822.1842
Abstract
Purpose: Depressive disorder is one of the global mental health challenges that reduces the quality of life of individuals. This disorder has economic and social consequences for communities and families. It increases healthcare costs in communities, and it provides a basis for emotional problems in families. Due to the importance of this issue, it is necessary to pay special attention to this disease, because depressed individuals have emotional, cognitive, and physical symptoms that significantly disrupt the individual's life. Also, given that researchers have identified new subgroups of depression, there is a need to consider personalized treatment approaches based on individual symptoms and underlying causes for different profiles of this disease. In this regard, in recent years, most of the research published in the field of depression has focused on treatment approaches for this disorder. On the other hand, the diversity of treatment approaches is great, which has caused the scientific production in this field to be significantly dispersed. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a systematic review of research outputs in the field of depression treatment. To achieve this goal, bibliometric analysis can be used as one of the main tools in scientometrics to identify scientific structure. In this way, it is possible to identify high-frequency therapeutic and complementary treatment approaches based on the keywords used in scientific productions, to determine the activities of researchers and their research interests, and to examine the overall geographical distribution of publications worldwide. Therefore, the present study aims to conduct a bibliometric analysis of research outputs in the field of depression treatment.
Methodology: The present study was conducted using scientometric techniques and documentary methods. The research corpus includes all publications related to depression treatment indexed in the Web of Science database from 1970 to 2025. To extract data, relevant keywords were first identified through the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) thesaurus, including: ("Depression" OR "Depressive Disorders" OR "Major Depressive Disorder" OR "Clinical Depression" OR "Involutional Depression" OR "Involutional Melancholia" OR "Involutional Psychoses" OR "Involutional Paraphrenias" OR "Depressive Neuroses" OR "Endogenous Depressions" OR "Melancholia" OR "Unipolar Depression" OR "Depressive Syndromes" OR "Neurotic Depressions") AND ("Therapy" OR "Therapeutics" OR "Treatment"). Subsequently, a search was conducted in the Web of Science database, and data related to depression treatment were extracted in plain text format. BibExcel and VOSviewer software were employed to analyze the research questions. BibExcel was used to process raw data and calculate frequencies based on its available options, while VOSviewer facilitated visualization and mapping.
Findings: Cognitive behavioral therapy, psychotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy, and pharmacotherapy were among the most frequently used treatments. A cluster analysis focusing on treatment approaches identified seven distinct clusters: Cluster 1 (pharmacology), Cluster 2 (psychotherapy), Cluster 3 (neuromodulation and physical interventions), Cluster 4 (lifestyle and activity-based complementary therapies), Cluster 5 (general concepts of treatment and intervention design), Cluster 6 (technology-based complementary therapies), and Cluster 7 (complementary and traditional therapies). Additionally, the word pairs (major depressive disorder – electroconvulsive therapy), (major depressive disorder – cognitive behavioral therapy), (major depressive disorder – psychotherapy), and (major depressive disorder – transcranial magnetic stimulation) appeared frequently. The leading author in the field of depression treatment is Michael Tas from the University of Pennsylvania, and the United States is the top country in this research area. The United States and Canada had the highest number of co-authors.
Conclusion: A variety of treatment approaches have been documented in scientific publications on depression treatment. However, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is more prevalent than other methods and appears to be the preferred first-line treatment for depression. Terms related to emerging treatments, such as ketamine and neuromodulation techniques, also appear frequently. Conversely, some treatment approaches, including mindfulness-based stress reduction, functional analytic psychotherapy, and attachment-based psychotherapy, are underrepresented. A review of leading researchers suggests that their prominence may be influenced by their organizational affiliations, as institutional focus on specific subject areas encourages publication in those fields. Additionally, a geographic disparity was observed, with high-income countries dominating research output due to greater funding capacity for depression treatment studies. Ultimately, the findings of this study can assist clinicians in making more informed decisions and help mental health planners develop targeted clinical strategies. Future research should also examine the comparative effectiveness of these interventions across different age groups and severity levels.
Keywords
Depression
Treatment
Co-occurrence
Clustering
Visualization
Scientometrics
Subjects
ابوجاسم، ز.، و خدابخش پیرکلانی، ر. (1404). تأثیر مداخلات روانشناختی و دارودرمانی بر بهبود اضطراب اجتماعی: یک مرور نظام‌مند. مجله علوم روانشناختی، 24(149)، 33-51.
    https://psychologicalscience.ir/article-1-2875-fa.html
حمدی‌پور، ا.، عطاپور، ه.، و زرداری، س. (1399). 50 سال پژوهش در حوزه روان درمانی: یک بررسی علم‌سنجی. پژوهش‌های نوین روانشناختی، 15(59)، 87-108.
    https://psychologyj.tabrizu.ac.ir/article_11496.html#ar_info_pnl_cite
سمائی، س.، و بشارت، م. ع. (1402). تحولات تاریخی اختلال افسردگی مهاد: مقاله مروری روایتی. رویش روان‌شناسی، 12(1)، 37-50. https://scholar.google.com/Samaee1402
صادق‌پور، م.، غضنفری، ف.، و رضایی، ف. (1403). اثربخشی تحریک الکتریکی مستقیم فراجمجمه‌ای(tDCS) بر شدت درد، اضطراب و افسردگی در بیماران مبتلا به آرتریت روماتوئید. مجله علمی پژوهشی دانشگاه علوم پزشکی شهید صدوقی یزد، 32(۱۲)، ۸۵۳۴- ۸۵۴۸. https://jssu.ssu.ac.ir/article-1-6339-fa.html
صدرمحمدی، ر.، حدادرنجبر، س.، و بیدکی، ر. (1403). نجات یک زندگی: پیشگیری از خودکشی. مجله علمی پژوهشی دانشگاه علوم پزشکی شهید صدوقی یزد، 32(۴)، ۷۷۰۲- ۷۷۱۴.
    https://jssu.ssu.ac.ir/article-1-6123-fa.html
عندلیب، س.، عابدی، م. ر.، نشاط‌دوست، ح. ط.، و آقایی، ع. (1399). مقایسه اثربخشی بسته درمانی مبتنی بر تجارب با درمان مبتنی بر شفقت‌ورزی بر شادکامی و نشخوار فکری در بیماران افسرده. مجله روانشناسی بالینی، 12(1)، 99-110.  https://journals.semnan.ac.ir/article_4589.html
غفاری، س.، زکیانی، ش.، و ملکی، ا. (1399). ارزیابی تولیدات علمی پژوهشگران حوزه‌ روانشناسی در نظام استنادی ISI طی سال‌های 2017-2013: مطالعه علم‌سنجی. مجله اطلاع‌رسانی پزشکی نوین، 5(1)، 33-40.
    https://scholar.google.com/Ghafari1399
کمانی، م.، سلیمانی اصل، ن.، و منصوری، ع. (1404). تحلیل وضعیت برون‌دادهای پژوهشی حوزۀ مدیریت دانش در بخش بهداشت و سلامت. پیاورد سلامت، 19(3)، 1-14.
    https://journals.tums.ac.ir/payavard/article-1-7811-fa.html&sw=
کمانی، م.، عندلیب، س.، جوزی، ز.، و نوروزی، ع. (1403). تجزیه و تحلیل کتاب‌سنجی و خوشه‌های موضوعی بروندادهای پژوهشی برخوردار از حمایت مالی حوزه سلامت روان کشور ایران در پایگاه وب آوساینس. پژوهش‌نامه علم‌سنجی، 10(2)، 45-64.  https://doi.org/10.22070/rsci.2024.18768.1713
مکی‌زاده، ف.، حاضری، ا.، حسینی‌نسب، س. ح.، و سهیلی، ف. (1395). تحلیل موضوعی و ترسیم نقشه علمی مقالات مرتبط با حوزه درمان افسردگی در پاب مد. مدیریت سلامت، 19(65)، 51-63. بازیابی شده در ۲۲ مرداد، ۱۴۰۳، از https://sid.ir/paper/130160/fa
Aboojasem, Z., & Khodabakhsh Pirkelani, R. (2025). The impact of psychological interventions and pharmacotherapy on improving social anxiety: A systematic review. Journal of Psychological Science, 24(149), 33-51.
      https://psychologicalscience.ir/article-1-2875-fa.html [In Persian].
Andalib, S., Abedi, M. R., Neshatdoost, H. T., & Aghaei, A. (2020). Comparison of the effectiveness of experience-based therapy package with compassion-based therapy on happiness and rumination in depressed patients. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 12(1), 99-110. https://journals.semnan.ac.ir/article_4589.html [In Persian].
Brinsley, J., O’Connor, E. J., Singh, B., McKeon, G., Curtis, R., Ferguson, T., Gosse, G., Willems, I., Marent, P.-J., Szeto, K., Firth, J., & Maher, C. (2025). Effectiveness of digital lifestyle interventions on depression, anxiety, stress, and well-being: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 27, e56975.
      https://doi.org/10.2196/56975
Chen, P., Feng, Y., Li, X.-H., Li, J.-X., Wang, Y.-Y., Zheng, W.-Y., Su, Z., Cheung, T., Ungvari, G. S., Ng, C. H., Sha, S., & Xiang, Y.-T. (2023). Systematic reviews and meta-analyses on major depressive disorder: A bibliometric perspective. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, 1136125. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1136125
Chiappini, S., Sampogna, G., Ventriglio, A., Menculini, G., Ricci, V., Pettorruso, M., Volpe, U., & Martinotti, G. (2025). Emerging strategies and clinical recommendations for the management of novel depression subtypes. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 25(4), 443-463. https://doi.org/10.1080/14737175.2025.2470973
Dobrek, L., & Głowacka, K. (2023). Depression and its phytopharmacotherapy—A narrative review. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24(5), 4772.
      https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24054772
Furukawa, T. A., Efthimiou, O., Weitz, E. S., Cipriani, A., Keller, M. B., Kocsis, J. H., Klein, D. N., Michalak, J., Salanti, G., Cuijpers, P., & Schramm, E. (2018). Cognitive-behavioral analysis system of psychotherapy, drug, or their combination for persistent depressive disorder: Personalizing the treatment choice using individual participant data network metaregression. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 87(3), 140-153.
      https://www.jstor.org/stable/48516075
Ghaffari, S., Zakiani, S., & Maleki, I. (2019). Evaluation of Scientific Productions of Psychology Researchers in the ISI Citation System During 2013-2017: Scientific Study. JMIS, 5(1), 33-40. https://scholar.google.com/Ghafari1399 [In Persian].
Hamdipour, A., Atapour, H., & Zardary, S. (2020). 50 years of research in psychotherapy: A scientometric study. Journal of Modern Psychological Researches, 15(59), 87-108. https://psychologyj.tabrizu.ac.ir/article_11496.html#ar_info_pnl_cite [In Persian].
Hasani, M., Zenoozian, S., Ahmadi, R., Khakpoor, S., Saberi, S., Pirzeh, R., & Saed, O. (2025). Evaluating the efficacy of rumination-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy in alleviating depression, negative affect, and rumination among patients with recurrent major depressive disorder: a randomized, multicenter clinical rrial. BMC Psychiatry, 25(1), 626.
      https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-025-07065-y
He, T., Wu, Z., Zhang, X., Liu, H., Wang, Y., Jiang, R., Liu, C., Hashimoto, K., & Yang, C. (2022). A bibliometric analysis of research on the role of BDNF in depression and treatment. Biomolecules, 12(10), 1464. https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12101464
Horwitz, A. V., Wakefield, J. C., & Lorenzo-Luaces, L. (2017). History of depression. In R. J. DeRubeis, & D. R. Strunk (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Mood Disorders (pp. 10–23). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199973965.013.2
Hua, J., Shen, R., Guo, X., Yu, L., Qiu, M., Ma, L., & Peng, X. (2024). The mediating role of depression in the association between socioeconomic status and cardiovascular disease: A nationwide cross-sectional study from NHANES 2005–2018. Journal of Affective Disorders, 366, 466-473. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.08.145
Jia, E., Macon, J., Doering, M., & Abraham, J. (2025). Effectiveness of Digital behavioral activation interventions for depression and anxiety: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 27, e68054. https://doi.org/10.2196/68054
Kamani, M., Andalib, S., Jozi, Z., & Noruzi, A. (2024). Bibliometric analysis and thematic clusters of funded research outputs in the field of mental health in Iran in the Web of Science database. Scientometrics Research Journal, 10(2), 45-64.
      https://doi.org/10.22070/rsci.2024.18768.1713 [In Persian].
Kamani, M., Soleymani Asl, N., & Mansouri, A. (2025). Analysis of the status of research outputs in the field of knowledge management in the health and healthcare field. Journal of Payavard Salamat, 19(3), 1-14.
      https://journals.tums.ac.ir/payavard/article-1-7811-fa.html&sw= [In Persian].
Kulakli, A., & Shubina, I. (2020). Scientific publication patterns of mobile technologies and apps for posttraumatic stress disorder treatment: Bibliometric co-word analysis. JMIR MHealth and UHealth, 8(11), e19391. https://mhealth.jmir.org/2020/11/e19391/citations
Li, Z.-Y., Zhang, Y.-W., Yang, H.-R., Ren, Y.-Q., Wu, H.-J., Zhang, M.-Y., Zhang, S., Jiao, Y.-F., Yu, W.-F., Xiao, J., Gao, P., & Yang, H. (2025). Comprehensive bibliometric analysis of transcranial magnetic stimulation-based depression treatment from 2003 to 2022: Research hotspots and trends. World Journal of Psychiatry, 15(4), 104600.
      https://doi.org/10.5498/wjp.v15.i4.104600
Lin, L., Guo, Z., Ren, Z., Feng, Y., Fang, P., Wang, T., & Chen, M. (2025). Bibliometric insights into astrocytic roles in depression and treatment. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 18, 1521398. https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2024.1521398
Makkizadeh, F., Hazeri, A., Hosininasab, S. H., & Soheili, F. (2016). Thematic analysis and scientific mapping of papers related to depression therapy in PubMed. Journal of Health Administration (JHA), 19(65), 51-63. Retrieved August 12, 2025, from
      https://sid.ir/paper/130160/fa [In Persian].
Monroe, S. M., & Harkness, K. L. (2022). Major Depression and its recurrences: Life course matters. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 18(1), 329-357.
      https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-072220-021440
Sadeqpur, M., Ghazanfari, F., & Rezaei, F. (2024). Effectiveness of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (Tdcs) on pain intensity, anxiety, and depression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Journal of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, 32(12), 8534-8548. https://jssu.ssu.ac.ir/article-1-6339-fa.html [In Persian].
SadrMohammadi, R., Ranjbar, S. H., & Bidaki, R. (2024). Saving a Life: Suicide Prevention. Journal of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, 32(4), 7702-7714.
      https://jssu.ssu.ac.ir/article-1-6123-fa.html [In Persian].
Sakopoulos, S., & Todman, M. (2025). The effects of psychotherapy on single and repeated ketamine infusion (s) therapy for treatment-resistant depression: The convergence of molecular and psychological treatment. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 26(14), 6673. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26146673
Samaee, S., & Besharat, M. A. (2023). Historical Developments of Major Depressive Disorder: Narrative Review Article. Rooyesh-E-Ravanshenasi Journal (RRJ), 12(1), 37-50.
      https://scholar.google.com/Samaee1402 [In Persian].
Soares, E. E., Thrall, J. N., Stephens, T. N., Rodriguez Biglieri, R., Consoli, A. J., & Bunge, E. L. (2020). Publication Trends in Psychotherapy: Bibliometric Analysis of the Past 5 Decades. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 73(3), 85-94.
      https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20190045
Xu, D., Wu, J., Lu, Z., Zhao, X., Feng, Y., Zhang, W., Jiang, S., Zhang, L., Wang, T., & Zhao, Z. (2024). Bibliometric analysis of research hotspots and trends on the relationship between the gut microbiota and depression from 2020 to 2024. Frontiers in Microbiology, 15, 1479703. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1479703
Zhang, B., Liu, Y., Zheng, J., & Chen, J. (2025). Research trends in esketamine for depression over the past decade: A bibliometric analysis. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 16, 1621830.
      https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1621830
Zupic, I., & Čater, T. (2015). Bibliometric methods in management and organization. Organizational Research Methods, 18(3), 429–472.
      https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428114562629
Scientometrics Research Journal
Volume 12, Issue 2 - Serial Number 24
(Issue 2, Autumn & Winter)
October 2026
Pages 375-396