scholarly journals Reading about self-help books on depression

2006 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 318-319
Author(s):  
Graeme Whitfield ◽  
Chris Williams

Self-help resources for depression are widely available in bookshops and via the internet. They are increasingly being recommended for use by healthcare practitioners as part of a stepped care treatment package (Bower & Gilbody, 2005). Such materials provide key information and key skills to help readers tackle mild-to-moderate depression (National Institute for Clinical Excellence, 2004). The recent review of self-help by the National Institute for Mental Health in England confirmed that it is cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) self-help that has an evidence base rather than self-help per se (Lewis et al, 2003).

2011 ◽  
Vol 198 (5) ◽  
pp. 391-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Mitchell ◽  
Stewart Agras ◽  
Scott Crow ◽  
Katherine Halmi ◽  
Christopher G. Fairburn ◽  
...  

BackgroundThis study compared the best available treatment for bulimia nervosa, cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) augmented by fluoxetine if indicated, with a stepped-care treatment approach in order to enhance treatment effectiveness.AimsTo establish the relative effectiveness of these two approaches.MethodThis was a randomised trial conducted at four clinical centres (Clinicaltrials.gov registration number: NCT00733525). A total of 293 participants with bulimia nervosa were randomised to one of two treatment conditions: manual-based CBT delivered in an individual therapy format involving 20 sessions over 18 weeks and participants who were predicted to be non-responders after 6 sessions of CBT had fluoxetine added to treatment; or a stepped-care approach that began with supervised self-help, with the addition of fluoxetine in participants who were predicted to be non-responders after six sessions, followed by CBT for those who failed to achieve abstinence with self-help and medication management.ResultsBoth in the intent-to-treat and completer samples, there were no differences between the two treatment conditions in inducing recovery (no binge eating or purging behaviours for 28 days) or remission (no longer meeting DSM–IV criteria). At the end of 1-year follow-up, the stepped-care condition was significantly superior to CBT.ConclusionsTherapist-assisted self-help was an effective first-level treatment in the stepped-care sequence, and the full sequence was more effective than CBT suggesting that treatment is enhanced with a more individualised approach.


2003 ◽  
Vol 183 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas Turkington ◽  
David Kingdon ◽  
Paul Chadwick

When does a therapeutic intervention become an accepted part of standard clinical practice? Is it when there is sufficient research evidence? But what constitutes ‘sufficient’? What about available resources and acceptability to patients? Do we have to wait until the National Institute for Clinical Excellence pronounces? A convincing evidence base for family work in schizophrenia (Kuipers, 2000) has existed for many years but has been poorly implemented (Anderson & Adams, 1996). Will cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) for psychosis suffer the same fate? Which professional group will champion such an implementation? The evidence for other psychological treatments is less robust. Psychoeducation may prolong time to relapse and improve insight but at the cost of increasing suicidal ideation (Carroll et al, 1998). Personal therapy (Hogarty et al, 1997) may be of value but is contra-indicated for patients who are living alone in the community. Psychodynamic approaches are advocated (Mace & Margison, 1997) but most psychiatrists do not support their use in practice, owing to lack of evidence of efficacy.


2003 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graeme Whitfield ◽  
Chris Williams

The evidence base for cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) for depression is discussed with reference to the review documentTreatment Choice in Psychological Therapies and Counselling (Department of Health). This identifies the need to deliver evidence-based psychosocial interventions and identifies CBT as having the strongest research base for effectiveness, but does not cover how to deliver CBT within National Health Service settings. The traditional CBT model of weekly face-to-face appointments is widely offered, yet there is little evidence to support these traditions in the outcome literature. Reducing face-to-face contact by introducing self-help into treatment may be one method of improving access. The SPIRIT course is discussed which teaches how to offer core cognitive–behavioural skills using structured self-help materials.


2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (10) ◽  
pp. 1644-1654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sigrid Salomonsson ◽  
Fredrik Santoft ◽  
Elin Lindsäter ◽  
Kersti Ejeby ◽  
Brjánn Ljótsson ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundCommon mental disorders (CMD) cause large suffering and high societal costs. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can effectively treat CMD, but access to treatment is insufficient. Guided self-help (GSH) CBT, has shown effects comparable with face-to-face CBT. However, not all patients respond to GSH, and stepping up non-responders to face-to-face CBT, could yield larger response rates. The aim was to test a stepped care model for CMD in primary care by first evaluating the effects of GSH-CBT and secondly, for non-responders, evaluating the additional effect of face-to-face CBT.MethodsConsecutive patients (N = 396) with a principal disorder of depression, anxiety, insomnia, adjustment or exhaustion disorder were included. In Step I, all patients received GSH-CBT. In Step II, non-responders were randomized to face-to-face CBT or continued GSH. The primary outcome was remission status, defined as a score below a pre-established cutoff on a validated disorder-specific scale.ResultsAfter GSH-CBT in Step I, 40% of patients were in remission. After Step II, 39% of patients following face-to-face CBT were in remission compared with 19% of patients after continued GSH (p = 0.004). Using this stepped care model required less than six therapy sessions per patient and led to an overall remission rate of 63%.ConclusionsStepped care can be effective and resource-efficient to treat CMD in primary care, leading to high remission rates with limited therapist resources. Face-to-face CBT speeded up recovery compared with continued GSH. At follow-ups after 6 and 12 months, remission rates were similar in the two groups.


2015 ◽  
Vol 207 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mats Hallgren ◽  
Martin Kraepelien ◽  
Agneta öjehagen ◽  
Nils Lindefors ◽  
Zangin Zeebari ◽  
...  

BackgroundDepression is common and tends to be recurrent. Alternative treatments are needed that are non-stigmatising, accessible and can be prescribed by general medical practitioners.AimsTo compare the effectiveness of three interventions for depression: physical exercise, internet-based cognitive–behavioural therapy (ICBT) and treatment as usual (TAU). A secondary aim was to assess changes in self-rated work capacity.MethodA total of 946 patients diagnosed with mild to moderate depression were recruited through primary healthcare centres across Sweden and randomly assigned to one of three 12-week interventions (trail registry: KCTR study ID: KT20110063). Patients were reassessed at 3 months (response rate 78%).ResultsPatients in the exercise and ICBT groups reported larger improvements in depressive symptoms compared with TAU. Work capacity improved over time in all three groups (no significant differences).ConclusionsExercise and ICBT were more effective than TAU by a general medical practitioner, and both represent promising non-stigmatising treatment alternatives for patients with mild to moderate depression.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 00094-2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Heslop-Marshall ◽  
Christine Baker ◽  
Debbie Carrick-Sen ◽  
Julia Newton ◽  
Carlos Echevarria ◽  
...  

Anxiety is an important comorbidity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We investigated if cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), delivered by respiratory nurses, reduced symptoms of anxiety and was cost-effective.Patients with COPD and anxiety were randomised to CBT or self-help leaflets. Anxiety, depression and quality of life were measured at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months. A cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted from a National Health Service hospital perspective and quality-adjusted life-years estimated using the EuroQol-5D questionnaire.In total, 279 patients were recruited. Group mean change from baseline to 3 months in the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Anxiety Subscale was 3.4 (95% CI 2.62–4.17, p<0.001) for the CBT group and 1.88 (95% CI 1.19–2.55, p<0.001) in the leaflet group. The CBT group was superior to leaflets at 3 months (mean difference in the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Anxiety Subscale was 1.52, 95% CI 0.49–2.54, p=0.003). Importantly, the CBT intervention was more cost-effective than leaflets at 12 months, significantly lowering hospital admissions and attendance at emergency departments.CBT delivered by respiratory nurses is a clinically and cost-effective treatment for anxiety in patients with COPD relative to self-help leaflets.


BJPsych Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry Wright ◽  
Lucy Tindall ◽  
Rebecca Hargate ◽  
Victoria Allgar ◽  
Dominic Trépel ◽  
...  

Background Computerised cognitive–behavioural therapy (CCBT) in the care pathway has the potential to improve access to psychological therapies and reduce waiting lists within Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, however, more randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are needed to assess this. Aims This single-centre RCT pilot study compared a CCBT program (Stressbusters) with an attention control (self-help websites) for adolescent depression at referral to evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of CCBT (trial registration: ISRCTN31219579). Method The trial ran within community and clinical settings. Adolescents (aged 12–18) presenting to their primary mental health worker service for low mood/depression support were assessed for eligibility at their initial appointment, 139 met inclusion criteria (a 33-item Mood and Feelings Questionnaire score of ≥20) and were randomised to Stressbusters (n = 70) or self-help websites (n = 69) using remote computerised single allocation. Participants completed mood, quality of life (QoL) and resource-use measures at intervention completion, and 4 and 12 months post-intervention. Changes in self-reported measures and completion rates were assessed by group. Results There was no significant difference between CCBT and the website group at 12 months. Both showed improvements on all measures. QoL measures in the intervention group showed earlier improvement compared with the website group. Costs were lower in the intervention group but the difference was not statistically significant. The cost-effectiveness analysis found just over a 65% chance of Stressbusters being cost-effective compared with websites. The 4-month follow-up results from the initial feasibility study are reported separately. Conclusions CCBT and self-help websites may both have a place in the care pathway for adolescents with depression.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eamon Aswad ◽  
Keith Gaynor

2020 saw the world affected by an unprecedented pandemic. Alongside the healthrisks, the COVID-19 pandemic has created mental health difficulties for a largenumber of people. Many people are feeling anxious or depressed, in ways that they might never have before.This eight module Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Workbook is designed to support those who are struggling with symptoms of anxiety and depression because of the COVID-19 crisis. This workbook has been created to provide psycho-education and self-help techniques to manage COVID-19 related distress.The workbook includes a variety of cognitive and behavioural strategies including;mindfulness exercises, gradual exposure to feared situations, physical coping skills, reducing unhelpful behaviours that contribute to anxiety (e.g. avoidance), reducing worry, maintaining identity and testing out beliefs about COVID-19.It is recommended that this workbook can be completed by anyone who is over the age of eighteen. The Coping During COVID-19 Workbook doesn’t replace formal psychological or medical support but may be an additional resource.


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