New depression treatment can reduce symptoms in two months study suggests

New depression treatment can reduce symptoms in two months study suggests

By Liz Lockhart

A recent UK study suggests that a new psychological treatment can reduce depression in just two months.  This new treatment is called ‘concreteness training’ (CNT).

Researchers from the University of Exeter believe that the technique could ultimately be used as a self-help therapy for depression in primary care.  The researchers believe that this new treatment could help people in the United Kingdom who are living with depression.  The number of people who are currently suffering from depression in the UK is estimated to be 3.5 million.

People suffering from depression are inclined to have unhelpful thinking patters and over-general negative thoughts, such as considering that a single mistake is evidence that they are useless at everything, according to the researchers.

The new technique, CNT, endeavours to directly target this tendency and repeated practice can help people to change their thinking pattern.

CNT is a form of cognitive behavioural therapy which teaches people how to be more specific when reflecting on problems.  This can assist with keeping difficulties in perspective, improve problem-solving and reduce worry, brooding and depressed mood.

This is the first formal test of this treatment for depression in the NHS.  In the investigation, 121 people with depression were recruited from primary care practices.  They were randomly allocated into three different groups.

One group received CNT as well as their usual treatment from their GP.  Another group received relaxation training as well as their usual treatment.  The last group continued with their usual treatment on its own.

The participants were assessed by the researchers after two months and then again at three and six months, to see what progress was being made.

The participants who received CNT treatment undertook a daily exercise in which they focussed on a recent event which they had found mildly to moderately upsetting.  Initially the treatment was undertaken with a therapist and then the participants undertook it alone using an audio CD that gave guided instructions. They worked through a series of exercises to focus on the specific details of that event and to identify how they may have influenced the outcome. 

During the first two months, the participants who undertook CNT reported a reduction in symptoms from severe depression to mild depression.  The study found that CNT significantly reduced the symptoms of both depression and anxiety.  Furthermore, the participants were able to maintain this beneficial effect over the following three and six months.

The participants who only continued with their usual treatment, the researchers found, remained severely depressed. 

Both CNT and relaxation training significantly reduced depression and anxiety but only CNT reduced the negative thinking which is typically found in depression.  CNT was found to be better at reducing symptoms of depression than relaxation training when the technique was practiced and became a habit.

‘This is the first demonstration that just targeting thinking style can be an effective means of tackling depression,’ said psychologist Dr. Edward Watkins of the University of Exeter. 

‘Concreteness training can be delivered with minimal face-to-face contact with a therapist and training could be accessed online, through CDs or through smartphone apps.  This has the advantage of making it a relatively cheap form of treatment that could be accessed by large numbers of people,’ he added.

Because of the high prevalence and global burden of depression, researchers believe that this low-cost approach should become a priority intervention.  They are now calling for larger effectiveness clinical trials.  This would assess the feasibility of CNT as part of the NHS’s treatment for depression.

Source: University of Exeter 

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