Depression May Be Treatable via Guided Self-Help
Behavioral or guided self-help interventions effectively treat depression among patients with intellectual disabilities, according to the findings of a recent study.
The randomized, controlled trial included 161 participants with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities and depression. A total of 84 participants were randomly assigned to a behavioral activation intervention (BeatIt) adapted for individuals with intellectual disabilities, and 77 were assigned to a guided self-help intervention (StepUp).
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Depression was assessed using the Glasgow Depression Scale for people with a Learning Disability (GDS-LD), which was measured at baseline, 4 and 12 months after randomization.
Overall, 141 (88%) participants had completed the study.
At 12 months, the researchers observed no significant differences between GDS-LD scores between Beatlt and StepUp groups (12.03 points vs 12.43 points, respectively). Additionally, participants in both groups showed improvements in GDS-LD scores.
“Psychological interventions such as behavioral activation and guided self-help can be manualized and used as first-line interventions for adults with intellectual disabilities and depression,” the researchers concluded. “Moreover, health-care workers can be trained and supervised to deliver behavioral activation and guided self-help as part of their regular practice, without requiring specialist therapists.”
—Melissa Weiss
Reference:
Jahoda A, Hastings R, Hatton C, et al. Comparison of behavioural activation with guided self-help for treatment of depression in adults with intellectual disabilities: a randomised controlled trial. Lancet Psychiatry. 2017;4(12):909-919. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(17)30426-1.