Abstract

Introduction. The effect of venlafaxine and psychotherapy including acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) enriched with compassion focus therapy (CFT) was evaluated on depression, anxiety, and stress in opioid-addicted patients undergoing methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). Method. This study is a randomized clinical trial with a pre-test and post-test design. Sixty opioid-addicted patients undergoing MMT were selected by voluntary sampling, and they were divided into three groups including VNF, receiving venlafaxine (75 mg/day); ACF, receiving ACT enriched with CFT, and VACF, receiving a combination of venlafaxine and ACT enriched with CFT. The ACT enriched with CFT for participants was performed by a psychiatrist weekly. Patients were evaluated based on the anxiety-stress-depression questionnaire after 28 days of intervention. Results. The findings showed that all three intervention methods effectively affected depression, anxiety, and stress. Re-garding stress, the difference in means between the two groups of VACF and ACF, as well as between VNF and ACF, was significant (P<0.05). The combined treatment of ACT enriched with CFT and venlafaxine had a more substantial effect on the research variables, i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress, compared to other interventions (P<0.05). Conclusion. The ACT enriched with CFT intervention and venlafaxine effectively reduces depression, anxiety, and stress in opioid-addicted patients undergoing MMT. © 2023, Amaltea Medical Publishing House. All rights reserved.