Engelsk titel: An educational programme for coping with depression: a randomized controlled trial
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Författare:
Dalgard OS
Email: odd.steffen.dalgard@fhi.no
Språk: Nor
Antal referenser: 13
Dokumenttyp:
RCT
UI-nummer: 04121659
Sammanfattning
BACKGROUND : Depression is a serious health problem, with lifetime prevalence in the western world of 20-30%. Only a relatively small proportion of depressed people receive treatment; hence there is a great need for further development of feasible treatment programmes.
MATERIAL AND METHODS : A psycho-educative group-based treatment programme was tested in a randomized controlled study of unipolar depression. The size of the intervention group was 81 as against 74 in the control group. The programme lasted 8 weeks with weekly sessions of 2(1/2) hours and booster sessions after 1, 2 and 4 months. Each group had 8 to 10 participants; psychiatric nurses acted as facilitators.
RESULTS : The rate of improvement after 6 months was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group. In the intervention group, 69% of participants showed significant improvement (reduction in the Beck Depression Inventory score of 6 points or more), compared to 37% in the control group. Improvement in the intervention group mainly took place during the first 8 weeks.
INTERPRETATION : The treatment programme turned out to have a significant effect on unipolar depression and seems feasible in primary health care as well as in specialized psychiatric care.