scholarly journals A survey of the provision of psychological treatments to older adults in the NHS

2004 ◽  
Vol 28 (11) ◽  
pp. 411-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Evans

Aims and MethodA questionnaire was sent to old age psychiatrists to ascertain their experience, views and clinical practice regarding psychological therapies in their services.ResultsThe provision of psychological treatments of all modalities to older people is widely varied in Britain. The main difficulty seems to be a lack of resources, but it would appear that inexperience with psychological therapies applied to older adults is also a factor. Most mental health teams (95%) provide anxiety management therapy, and cognitive–behavioural therapy is widely available (76% of teams), but areas such as training and staff supervision appear to be poorly provided.Clinical ImplicationsSuggestions are made to increase provision and quality of service within existing resources; improving services to the standards of the National Service Framework would be a bigger challenge.

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 115-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noel Collins ◽  
Laurie Corna

Aims and methodTo understand general practitioner (GP) reticence to refer older patients to a local Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service providing mostly cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT)-based interventions. Semi-structured, hour-long interviews were conducted with eight GPs and then analysed by modified grounded theory and thematic analysis.ResultsGP views regarding the treatability of older adults with CBT influenced their willingness to refer to a CBT-based IAPT service. Perceptions of local IAPT assessment processes being distressing and onerous to older patients also motivated referral inaction. GPs expressed a preference to treat depressed older patients themselves (with medication and psychological approaches such as watchful waiting).Clinical implicationsAny strategy to increase referral rates of older adults to CBT-based IAPT services should address local GP concerns regarding assessment processes and the effectiveness of offered treatments.Declaration of interestNone.


Author(s):  
Tamlyn J. Watermeyer ◽  
Laura H. Goldstein

This chapter, of particular interest to those interested in psychological treatments for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), outlines earlier work that sought to identify correlates of reduced well-being and quality of life in people with ALS and delineates possible targets for intervention. In this context, the chapter then evaluates several studies that have investigated psychological interventions for optimizing well-being in people with ALS and their caregivers. The chapter reviews current efforts to address the paucity of interventional research in this patient group, focusing on five therapies that have so far been evaluated for treatment efficacy. These therapies include hypnosis, mindfulness, cognitive behavioural therapy, expressive disclosure therapy, and dignity therapy. The main findings from these studies and their clinical implications for people with ALS and their families are discussed. Recommendations for future research are considered, together with a discussion of the implementation of such interventions in therapeutic or multidisciplinary settings.


2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (3) ◽  
pp. 250-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gillian Haddock ◽  
Shôn Lewis ◽  
Richard Bentall ◽  
Graham Dunn ◽  
Richard Drake ◽  
...  

BackgroundPsychological treatments have been shown to be effective in patients with psychosis. However, the studies published to date have included participants across wide age ranges, so few conclusions can be reached about the effectiveness of such treatments in relation to age.AimsTo evaluate outcomes by age in a randomised controlled trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), supportive counselling and treatment as usual.MethodOutcomes were evaluated in terms of symptoms, social functioning, insight and therapeutic alliance according to age at 3- and 18-month follow-up.ResultsYounger participants responded better to supportive counselling than to treatment as usual and CBTover 3 months. Older participants responded better to CBT than to supportive counselling over 18 months. Younger participants showed a greater increase in insight after CBT compared with treatment as usual and supportive counselling, and were more difficult to engage in therapy.ConclusionsYoung people may have different needs with regard to engagement in psychological treatments. Treatment providers need to take age-specific factors into account.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maaike Ferwerda ◽  
Sylvia van Beugen ◽  
Henriët van Middendorp ◽  
Henk Visser ◽  
Harald Vonkeman ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND A chronic somatic condition, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), can significantly reduce health related quality of life due to psychological, social and physical consequences. Cognitive behavioural therapy can aid in improving outcomes for patients, for example in terms of disease trajectory, health care utilization, and workplace disability of patients. In recent years internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy has been proposed as an effective and efficient way to offer cognitive behavioural therapy and further implementation. However, little research has been conducted to support this proposition. OBJECTIVE To stimulate the implementation of effective treatment strategies for improving health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), cost-benefit ratios are required to inform stake-holders. A cost-effectiveness study from a societal perspective was conducted alongside a randomized controlled trial on a tailored and therapist-guided internet-based cognitive behavioural intervention (ICBT) for patients with elevated levels of distress, as an addition to usual care alone. METHODS Data were collected at baseline/pre-intervention, 6 months/post-intervention, and three-monthly thereafter during one year follow-up. Effects were measured in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and costs from a societal perspective including healthcare sector costs (including healthcare use, medication, and intervention costs), patient travel costs for healthcare use, and costs associated with loss of labor. RESULTS The intervention improved quality of life compared to usual care alone (Δ QALYs= 0.059), but also led to higher costs (Δ= € 4.211,44), which reduced substantially when medication costs were left out of the equation (Δ= € 1.862,72). Most (93%) of the simulated ICERS were in the north-east quadrant, suggesting a high probability that the intervention is effective in improving HRQoL, but at a greater monetary cost for society compared to usual care alone. CONCLUSIONS A tailored and guided ICBT intervention as an addition to usual care for patients with RA with heightened distress was effective in gaining quality of life. Consequently, implementation of the ICBT into standard healthcare for patients with RA is recommended, yet further study into cost reductions in this population is warranted. CLINICALTRIAL National trial registry number:NTR2100


2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 467-482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Murray

Background: Therapists in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services are often expected to treat complex presentations of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), such as individuals with multiple, prolonged or early life trauma histories and significant co-morbidity, for which they have received minimal training. Although high recovery rates for PTSD have been demonstrated in randomized controlled trials, these are not always replicated in routine practice, suggesting that training interventions are required to fill the research–practice gap. Aims: This study investigated the outcomes of a therapist training programme on treating PTSD with trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (TF-CBT). Method: Twenty therapists from ten IAPT services participated in the training, which consisted of workshops, webinars and consultation sessions over a 6-month period. Results: Feedback indicated that participants found the training highly acceptable. PTSD knowledge and self- and supervisor-rated competence on TF-CBT measures improved following the training and improvements were maintained a year later. Client outcomes on a PTSD measure improved following the training. Participants reported attempts to disseminate learning from the course back to their teams. Conclusions: The findings indicate that the training programme was successful in improving TF-CBT knowledge, skills and outcomes for IAPT therapists. Tentative support for training ‘trauma experts’ within IAPT services was found, although institutional constraints and staff turnover may limit the sustainability of the model.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 621-625
Author(s):  
Jo Hall ◽  
Stephen Kellett ◽  
Manreesh Kaur Bains ◽  
Heather Stonebank ◽  
Shonagh Scott

AbstractBackground:Group psychotherapy for older adults with generalised anxiety disorder is an under-researched area.Aim:This report describes a mixed method evaluation of the acceptability and feasibility of an Overcoming Worry Group.Method:The Overcoming Worry Group was a novel adaptation of a cognitive behavioural therapy protocol targeting intolerance-of-uncertainty for generalised anxiety disorder, tailored for delivery to older adults in a group setting (n = 13).Results:The adapted protocol was found to be acceptable and feasible, and treatment outcomes observed were encouraging.Conclusions:This proof-of-concept study provides evidence for an Overcoming Worry Group as an acceptable and feasible group treatment for older adults with generalised anxiety disorder.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lilian Skilbeck ◽  
Christopher Spanton ◽  
Ian Roylance

Abstract Britain has increasingly become a multi-cultural society. In order to improve access to primary care psychological therapy including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), there has been an increase in focus on cultural adaptation and cultural responsiveness. To date, these adaptations have focused on domains such as language, beliefs and values. In this case, familism was the focus for adaptation. The client was a 22-year-old female from a black African-British background. She presented with severe symptoms of chronic depression as measured on routine standard questionnaires and the interview. She had minimal success from previous interventions and was struggling to make progress. Therapy was guided by the client’s views on what issues had a bearing on her difficulties. The client hypothesised that familism factors with themes around ‘my parents’ culture’ and ‘family comes first’ were interacting with her cognitive behavioural factors to maintain her problem. She requested the involvement of her family in her treatment plan. In line with the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies–Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic service user Positive Practice Guide, this was integrated as part of her formulation. Upon involvement of her father in a single session, the client attained reliable improvement. She attributed her improvement to this involvement. By the end of therapy, she reached recovery, which was maintained at 3-month follow-up. This study was responsive to the client’s own perceived cultural needs through the integration of familism into her CBT formulation. It illustrates a client-led cultural adaptation of CBT to treat chronic depression. Key learning aims It is hoped that the reader will increase their understanding of the following from reading this case study: (1) Creating an environment where clients can freely discuss their perceived cultural factors from the outset. (2) Client-led cultural responsiveness to their expressed cultural needs. (3) Familism as a domain for adapting CBT.


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. e023881 ◽  
Author(s):  
Filipa Sampaio ◽  
Marianne Bonnert ◽  
Ola Olén ◽  
Erik Hedman ◽  
Maria Lalouni ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo assess whether exposure-based internet-delivered cognitive–behavioural therapy (internet-CBT) is a cost-effective treatment for adolescents with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) compared with a waitlist control, from a societal perspective, based on data from a randomised trial.DesignWithin-trial cost-effectiveness analysis.SettingParticipants were recruited from the whole of Sweden via primary, secondary and tertiary care clinics reached through news media and advertising.ParticipantsAdolescents (aged 13–17) with a diagnosis of IBS.InterventionsParticipants were randomised to either an exposure-based internet-CBT, including 10 weekly modules for adolescents and five modules for parents, or a waitlist.Outcome measuresThe main health outcome was the quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) estimated by mapping Pediatric Quality-of-Life Inventory (PedsQL) scores onto EQ-5D-3L utilities. The secondary outcome was the point improvement on the PedsQL scale. Data on health outcomes and resource use were collected at baseline and 10 weeks post-treatment. Resource use was measured using the Trimbos and Institute of Medical Technology Assessment Cost Questionnaire for Psychiatry (TIC-P) . Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) were calculated as the difference in average costs by the difference in average outcomes between groups.ResultsThe base-case results showed that internet-CBT costs were on average US$170.24 (95% CI 63.14 to 315.04) more per participant than the waitlist. Adolescents in the internet-CBT group showed small QALY gains (0.0031; 95% CI 0.0003 to 0.0061), and an average improvement of 5.647 points (95% CI 1.82 to 9.46) on the PedsQL compared with the waitlist. Internet-CBT yielded an ICER of $54 916/QALY gained and a probability of cost-effectiveness of 74% given the Swedish willingness-to-pay threshold. The ICER for the outcome PedsQL was US$85.29/point improvement.ConclusionsOffering internet-CBT to adolescents with IBS improves health-related quality of life and generates small QALY gains at a higher cost than a waitlist control. Internet-CBT is thus likely to be cost-effective given the strong efficacy evidence, small QALY gains and low cost.Trial registration numberNCT02306369; Results.


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