Systemic Couple Therapy and Depression
Posted by on 15 Jun, 2012 in Gay Couples (Books), Lesbian Couples (Books) | 0 comments
“Systemic Couple Therapy and Depression”.
Authors: Elsa Jones, Eia Asen.
ISBN: 1-85575-221-2
In 1991 The London Depression Intervention Trial (LDIT) set out to compare three treatments for depression of individuals: CBT (cognitive behaviour therapy), Systemic Couple Therapy and Anti-Depressants. All approaches were to be manualised (i.e. the intention and approaches by all therapists were documented). This book is mostly the product of the Systemic Couple Therapy portion of the trial (whilst adding appropriate findings from the trial).
The trial concluded that Systemic Couple Therapy achieved better results when treating an individual’s depression than CBT or by anti-depressants.
The CBT patients dropped out (8 out of the first 11) so the CBT arm of the trial had to be stopped at an early stage.
The book is a good review of the therapist’s approach to Systemic Couple therapy.
One should note, however, that the systemic approach was the only one that was treating the depressed in individual in the context of a couple-relationship (ie treated a relationship), whereas the CBT approach and the drug-treatment approach treated the individual. If one were to compare a CBT-couple therapy approach or even an drug-treatment for a couple relationship approach comparing such findings might be interesting.
NB the system couple approach is the main approach practised by our therapist: Dean Richardson.
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