A new depression treatment that boosts positive emotions appears to outperform traditional therapies. As researchers noted, Positive Affect Treatment (PAT) helps rebuild a patient’s capacity for joy, motivation, and purpose.
The most debilitating symptom of depression can actually be absent, helping a patient feel positive emotions or experience pleasure, a new study reveals.
Now, this new treatment approach focusing on positive emotions has been developed and appears to outperform most conventional mental health treatment methods aimed at reducing negative emotions, researchers at Southern Methodist University (SMU) reported on April 24, 2026.
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According to the researchers, there is a significant difference between “feeling helpless” and “feeling hopeless”. When people feel helpless, they have the drive to make a change. But when they feel hopeless, they start to think there is no way to change anything. That is what anhedonia can look like, taking away negative emotions.
Researchers selected 98 depressed people for the evaluation. The team randomly assigned half of them to receive PAT, and the remaining section to undergo typical depression treatment focusing on negative emotions. This is a 15-session mental therapy program that directly targets the brain’s reward system, which rules how people experience and learn from positive experiences.
According to some experts at the Philadelphia Mental Health Center, patients who were monitored under Positive Affect Treatment experienced greater improvements in depression and anxiety symptoms than those who received standard treatment.
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Disclaimer:
This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before starting or changing any medication or treatment.