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Do you suffer from anxiety, depression, anorexia nervosa, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or other mental health conditions rooted in out-of-control emotions?Are you looking for a detailed step by step program to combat your problems and don’t want to rely on medications only?
Have you tried everything else and your hopes for the future are not the brightest?
If you answered yes to at least one of the questions above, this guide was directly written for you.
Originally developed for the treatment of depression, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, has quickly become one of the most well-known and most effective treatments for all mental health conditions who are caused by cognitive distortions (depression, anxiety etc).
In 2014, Zhipei ZHU and colleagues from the Shanghai Mental Health Center found evidence that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has major benefits not only for the treatment of general depression, but also for general anxiety disorder.
Even compared to psychoactive medications, review studies have found CBT alone to be as effective for treating less severe forms of depression and anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), tics, substance abuse, eating disorders and borderline personality disorder, but without the potential negative side effects of the drugs.
PurposeHIV induces a pro-inflammatory response that is linked to increased morbidity and mortality. Stress and depression have been associated with elevated inflammation. We sought to test whether Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) would improve high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and D-dimer in HIV+ adults, and to explore the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between psychological state and these markers.
Methods
We randomized antiretroviral-untreated HIV+ adults with CD4+ counts >250 cells/µl to MBSR or an education/support control group. Baseline, 3, and 12 month measures included: Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ), State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS+/-). Data were censored for starting antiretroviral therapy during follow-up.
Results
Of 177 participants, 132 (71 MBSR, 61 control) had complete specimen panels and were eligible for this sub-study. MBSR did not appear to have a substantial effect on change in hsCRP or D-dimer from baseline to 3, or 12 months (p>0.10), though CIs were wide. hsCRP at baseline was positively correlated with: PSS (β=0.18, p=0.034), BDI (β=0.21, p=0.014), PHQ (β=0.15, p=0.087), PANAS+/- (β=0.17, p=0.049), and STAI (β=0.19, p=0.030). hsCRP was correlated with BMI (β=0.25, p=0.004). After controlling for BMI, age, and viral load, hsCRP remained associated with BDI (β=0.19 p=0.03) and STAI (β=0.16 p=0.065). D-dimer showed no substantial baseline correlation with any scale (β<0.1, p>0.5). No substantial longitudinal relationships were found between change in hsCRP or D-dimer and change in any psychological measure (β<0.12, p>0.2).
Conclusion
MBSR did not appear to substantially improve hsCRP or D-dimer. Correlations between hsCRP and psychological measures were in hypothesized directions. The observation that hsCRP was associated with depression in multivariate analysis suggests a causal association between these processes. Interventional studies aimed at reducing inflammation, or improving mood, are needed to clarify this association and to identify future therapeutic strategies.
OBJECTIVE: ADHD affects between 2% and 8% of college students and is associated with broad functional impairment. No prior randomized controlled trials with this population have been published. The present study is a pilot randomized controlled trial evaluating dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) group skills training adapted for college students with ADHD.METHOD: Thirty-three undergraduates with ADHD between ages 18 and 24 were randomized to receive either DBT group skills training or skills handouts during an 8-week intervention phase. ADHD symptoms, executive functioning (EF), and related outcomes were assessed at baseline, post-treatment, and 3-month follow-up.
RESULTS: Participants receiving DBT group skills training showed greater treatment response rates (59-65% vs. 19-25%) and clinical recovery rates (53-59% vs. 6-13%) on ADHD symptoms and EF, and greater improvements in quality of life.
CONCLUSION: DBT group skills training may be efficacious, acceptable, and feasible for treating ADHD among college students. A larger randomized trial is needed for further evaluation.