Featured Reviews: Behavioural activation therapy for depression

How well does behavioural activation therapy work for depression in adults?  And what about the effects of this treatment on depression for adults with long‐term physical conditions? Two new Cochrane systematic reviews look at the available evidence.Depression is a common mental health problem. It can cause a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest in people, activities, and things that were once enjoyable. Treatments for depression include psychological therapies (talking therapies). Two reviews recently published byCochrane Common Mental Disordersfocus on a type of psychological therapy called behavioural activation.Behavioural activation encourages a person to develop or get back into activities which are meaningful to them. The therapy involves scheduling activities and monitoring behaviours and looking at specific situations where changing these behaviours and activities may be helpful. A therapist may support people in person, over the phone, or online, usually over multiple sessions.  Behavioural activation is increasingly receiving attention as an intervention which may require fewer resources and less specialist training than other treatments for depression. This could make it easier to implement in a wide range of settings, including low- and middle-income countries and other settings with fewer specialists available to deliver treatments. It is important that the implementation of behavioural activation in practice is supported by up-to-date evidenc...
Source: Cochrane News and Events - Category: Information Technology Authors: Source Type: news