Interventions for Depression and Anxiety: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

A special issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X). This special issue belongs to the section "Social Psychology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2024 | Viewed by 3408

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Psychological Counseling, Faculty of Psychology, Mejiro University, Tokyo 161-0032, Japan
Interests: cognitive behavioral therapy; compassion focused therapy; depression; anxiety

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Guest Editor
Psychology Major, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Sociology, Kansai University, Osaka 564-8680, Japan
Interests: cognitive behavioral therapy; unified protocol; adolescent; children

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Since its development in the 20th century, cognitive behavioral therapy has become the most mainstream psychotherapy of our time. It has a wide range of applications and is used to address a wide variety of problems, including eating disorders, personality disorders, addictions, and physical illnesses, as well as depression, anxiety, and other problems that show relatively early effects.

Similarly, the means of delivering cognitive behavioral therapy continue to expand, moving beyond self-help books, telephone, and email to the active use of new technologies such as videoconferencing systems or social networking services.

In addition to this expansion of targets and means, the focus of cognitive behavioral therapy itself has continued to change. Recently developed techniques such as schema therapy, mindfulness, and compassion-focused therapy are representative of this trend.

We invite papers on cognitive behavioral therapy interventions for depression and anxiety. As psychological problems change over our lifetime and with the state of the world, cognitive behavioral therapy must also continue to evolve.

We look forward to receiving your contributions to this Special Issue.

Dr. Kenichi Asano
Dr. Hiroko Fujisato
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • cognitive behavioral therapy
  • acceptance and commitment therapy
  • schema therapy
  • mindfulness
  • compassion-focused therapy
  • depression
  • anxiety

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 441 KiB  
Article
Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression and Anxiety in Patients with Schizophrenia in Psychiatric Home Nursing Service: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
by Masayuki Katsushima and Eiji Shimizu
Behav. Sci. 2024, 14(8), 680; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14080680 - 5 Aug 2024
Viewed by 458
Abstract
This pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed to explore whether depression and anxiety could be reduced by psychiatric home nursing supporters offering brief cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis (CBTp) at home, using a workbook for patients with schizophrenia. Eighteen patients with schizophrenia treated [...] Read more.
This pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed to explore whether depression and anxiety could be reduced by psychiatric home nursing supporters offering brief cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis (CBTp) at home, using a workbook for patients with schizophrenia. Eighteen patients with schizophrenia treated in a psychiatric home nursing service were randomly assigned to two groups: one group received CBTp in addition to usual care (TAU + CBTp group; n = 9) and the other received only usual care (TAU group; n = 9); two patients were excluded due to hospitalization or withdrawal of consent. Eight weekly CBTp sessions were conducted; anxiety/depression, quality of life, self-esteem, and overall functioning were assessed at baseline, week 9, and week 13. There was no significant difference in the primary and secondary evaluations. The effect size was 0.84 for primary evaluation indicating a large effect. This study showed that nurses and occupational therapists can provide CBTp in psychiatric home nursing for patients with schizophrenia to potentially alleviate anxiety and depression compared to standard psychiatric home nursing service alone. Therefore, larger RCTs with larger sample sizes are recommended. Full article
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21 pages, 731 KiB  
Article
An Online Single-Session Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression and Anxiety Associated with Multiple Sclerosis—Pilot Study
by Alina Schenk, Cosmin Octavian Popa, Cristiana Manuela Cojocaru, Ștefan Marian, Smaranda Maier, Ovidiu Lucian Băjenaru and Rodica Bălașa
Behav. Sci. 2024, 14(7), 620; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14070620 - 21 Jul 2024
Viewed by 695
Abstract
Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most debilitating neurodegenerative diseases in youth, significantly affecting all life domains. Therefore, a strong association between MS, depression and anxiety symptoms has been established. The objective of the present interventional one-group pretest–posttest study is to [...] Read more.
Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most debilitating neurodegenerative diseases in youth, significantly affecting all life domains. Therefore, a strong association between MS, depression and anxiety symptoms has been established. The objective of the present interventional one-group pretest–posttest study is to assess the feasibility of an online single-session intervention (SSI) based on a cognitive behavioral therapy protocol targeting depressive and anxiety symptoms, psychological mechanisms, fatigue and overall health status. Methods: In this pilot study, 31 patients with MS (Mage = 42 years, SD = 12.2) received the online CBT SSI. The impact of the intervention was assessed using validated instruments two weeks after the intervention and after a two-month follow-up period. Results: Statistically significant effects were observed for the reduction of depression, with B = −7.58, 95% CI (−12.84, −2.31) and p < 0.01, and anxiety, with B = −15.17, 95% CI (−18.31, −12.02) and p < 0.001, at post-test and follow-up screening. Additionally, positive outcomes were seen for irrational beliefs at post-test, with B = −25.86, 95% CI (−46.10, −5.61), along with negative automatic thoughts, with B = −4.47, 95% CI (−10.65, 1.71), which were preserved at follow-up. Despite the health status also improving, no significant changes were observed for dysfunctional attitudes and fatigue. Conclusions: This research proves that the online CBT SSI was efficient for decreasing mild to moderate symptoms of depression and anxiety and reducing the intensity of dysfunctional psychological mechanisms in our sample. Full article
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17 pages, 1276 KiB  
Article
Real-World Effectiveness and Predictors of Nurse-Led Individual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Mental Disorders: An Updated Pragmatic Retrospective Cohort Study
by Naoki Yoshinaga, Yoko Obara, Naohisa Kawano, Kazuki Kondo, Yuta Hayashi, Michikazu Nakai, Ryuichiro Takeda and Hiroki Tanoue
Behav. Sci. 2024, 14(7), 604; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14070604 - 16 Jul 2024
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Abstract
The importance of nurses integrating effective psychological techniques into their clinical practice is widely recognized. Nevertheless, further evidence from real-world settings is needed to establish nurse-led cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) as an effective approach in clinical practice. This study aimed to examine the [...] Read more.
The importance of nurses integrating effective psychological techniques into their clinical practice is widely recognized. Nevertheless, further evidence from real-world settings is needed to establish nurse-led cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) as an effective approach in clinical practice. This study aimed to examine the clinical effectiveness and predictors of individual CBT for mental disorders delivered by nurses in various routine clinical settings. This pragmatic retrospective cohort study collected data from participants who received nurse-led individual CBT at four institutions from different prefectures in Japan between April 2015 and March 2023. During the study period, 280 clients were referred to nurses for CBT, 240 of whom received nurse-led individual CBT of at least one session. The common primary diagnoses among participants were major depressive disorder (33.8%), social phobia (12.9%), and obsessive–compulsive disorder (10.0%). Of these, 23 participants were ongoing cases at the end of the observation period, and 217 who had completed the course of therapy or discontinued/dropped out from the therapy were included in the analysis (173 completed and 44 discontinued/dropped out (i.e., dropout rate = 20.3%)). Based on the clinical significance definition (primary outcome), 62.4% of the participants who completed the therapy were judged to demonstrate positive clinical significance (recovered or improved), with only a few participants (6.9%) demonstrating deterioration. Significant improvements were observed before and after nurse-led individual CBT across all secondary outcomes, including depression and anxiety symptoms, health-related quality of life, and functional disability (all ps ≤ 0.001). Univariate logistic regression revealed that clients with higher baseline severity of depression and anxiety symptoms were less likely to achieve positive clinical significance following nurse-led individual CBT. The real-world evidence gained through this study will encourage frontline nurses and motivate institutional/organizational leaders and policymakers to employ nurse-led individual CBT, especially for depression and anxiety-related disorders. Full article
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Review

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14 pages, 515 KiB  
Review
A Narrative Review of Compassion Focused Therapy on Positive Mental Health Outcomes
by Yasuhiro Kotera, Julie Beaumont, Ann-Marie Edwards, Matthew Cotterill, Ann Kirkman, Aiesha Carew Tofani, Merly McPhilbin, Simran Takhi, Kristian Barnes, Olamide Todowede, Benjamin-Rose Ingall, Kenichi Asano and Kohki Arimitsu
Behav. Sci. 2024, 14(8), 643; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14080643 - 25 Jul 2024
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Abstract
Background: Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) has been attracting attention in mental health practice and research. CFT is effective in reducing a variety of negative mental health symptoms. Positive mental health (PMH) focuses on an individual’s functioning, quality of life, and well-being, aiming to achieve [...] Read more.
Background: Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) has been attracting attention in mental health practice and research. CFT is effective in reducing a variety of negative mental health symptoms. Positive mental health (PMH) focuses on an individual’s functioning, quality of life, and well-being, aiming to achieve fulfilment. A need for PMH has been increasingly recognised such as national policies incorporating recovery-oriented approaches. However, how effective CFT is for PMH outcomes remains to be investigated. This narrative review aimed to identify the literature that reports evidence on CFT used against PMH outcomes. Methods: Our research questions (RQs) were as follows: RQ1. What PMH outcomes are targeted in CFT intervention research? RQ2. Is CFT effective for PMH?” Medline, Embase, and PsycINFO were searched on the Ovid platform. All studies that mentioned “compassion focused therapy” and “compassion-focused therapy” were searched. Results: Sixteen RCTs were included published since 2012. Nine studies were from Europe, four from Asia, two from Northern America, and one from Australia and New Zealand. CFT was used for diverse PMH outcomes, and the effects were overall positive. Self-compassion and compassion were the most frequently evaluated outcomes. Conclusions: The mechanism of action for CFT on PMH needs to be evaluated. CFT can be used as part of personal recovery in mental health. More evidence from non-WEIRD countries including LMICs is needed. Full article
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