Depression is like a dark cloud that never seems to lift. It can be really hard to handle, and it can make life feel really tough.
Right now, the best treatment we have is something called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
But researchers from the University of Exeter in the UK might have found something even better: augmented depression therapy (ADepT).
What’s Different About ADepT?
ADepT aims to help people feel better by focusing on both reducing the symptoms of depression and building up a person’s sense of well-being.
A lot of the time, people with depression lose interest in things they used to enjoy, and they can feel like they just can’t find happiness anymore. This new therapy tries to tackle that head-on.
Professor Barney Dunn, a clinical psychologist, led the research. He said that depression affects a lot of people around the world and is a major reason why some people can’t work or live their life to the fullest.
Current treatments like CBT can help about 60% of people, but even then, about half of those people might find their depression coming back within two years.
ADepT encourages people to look at their problems from a new angle.
The goal is to help people figure out what’s important to them, live in line with those values, and find ways to feel happy and content even while dealing with depression.
Testing Out ADepT
The researchers ran a pilot trial, or a small-scale test, of ADepT. They recruited 82 adults who had moderate to severe depression and a lack of interest or pleasure in life.
The participants were randomly assigned to either get ADepT or CBT.
The researchers then checked on the participants at the beginning of the trial, and then again after six, 12, and 18 months.
The results showed that ADepT was at least as good as, and possibly better than, CBT at improving well-being and reducing symptoms of depression.
Plus, ADepT cost the same as CBT to deliver, but it seemed to give people a better quality of life.
Looking to the Future
These findings could be a game changer in treating depression. If other trials confirm these results, it would mean that ADepT could be a better, cost-effective option for helping people with depression.
And the good news is, therapists who already know how to deliver CBT could easily learn to deliver ADepT. So, this new therapy could be a real ray of sunshine for those under the dark cloud of depression.
If you care about mental health, please read studies that high doses of common depression drug could switch off the brain, and Vitamin D could help reduce depression symptoms.
For more information about health, please see recent studies that fermented foods and fiber could help you reduce stress, and MIND diet could improve cognitive health in older people.
The study was published in EClinicalMedicine.
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