People living with dementia may benefit from talking therapies if they suffer from anxiety or depression, a new study finds.
Mental health problems such as depression and anxiety are widespread among people with dementia, with previous studies estimating that 38 percent of people with mild dementia are affected by the conditions.
However, the new study, published in eClinicalMedicine, is the first to assess whether talk therapies administered routinely in health care settings might be helpful in relieving symptoms.
“Anxiety and depression are very common in people with dementia. They are extremely debilitating and associated with worse outcomes for both the person with dementia and their carers,” said lead author Georgia Bell, from University College London.
For the study, the team examined data from 2,515,402 people who had clinically significant anxiety or depression and completed a course of treatment through the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service in England between 2012 and 2019. .
IAPT is a free NHS service and offers evidence-based therapies for the treatment of anxiety and depression, including CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), counseling and guided self-help, with sessions delivered face-to-face, individually, in groups or online.
To be counted in the study, the participants had clinical levels of depressive symptoms as measured by a standard questionnaire, which considers factors such as a lack of interest in doing things, problems with sleep and feelings of moodiness.
Clinical levels of anxiety are based on a standard measure, which asks patients about how much they worry or have trouble relaxing.
To examine outcomes for people with dementia, the researchers looked at everyone who had a diagnosis of dementia before starting IAPT treatment, which was 1,549 people.
They also used a control group of 1,329 people to assess whether therapy outcomes for people living with dementia differed from those without dementia by selecting a group of people from the entire data set who were similar to people with dementia. dementia in terms of age, sex and depression. and severity of anxiety at the start of treatment.
The researchers found that among people with dementia, the treatment proved clinically beneficial, with 63 percent of them noting a reduction in symptoms of depression and anxiety after IAPT. Meanwhile, about 40 percent have fully recovered.
Comparatively, in the control group, 70 percent of participants noted an improvement in symptoms and 47 percent recovered.
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