Depression and anxiety are common conditions, whose symptoms can cause anything from mild discomfort to severe impairment. There is now a substantial evidence base showing the effectiveness of internet-delivered psychological treatments, such as internet-delivered Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (iCBT), for treating the symptoms of depression and anxiety. It is encouraging to …
Read More »Positive Memory Enhancement Training for Individuals with Major Depressive Disorder
Intense and prolonged sadness is a defining feature of major depressive disorder (MDD). People with MDD often have difficulty changing their feelings of sadness or lessening the intensity of their emotions. Recalling positive memories can help people without depression to cope with sadness and improve their mood. However, previous research …
Read More »A transdiagnostic examination of decreased intolerance of uncertainty and treatment outcome
Intolerance of uncertainty, also termed fear of the unknown, may be an important tool to address in therapy. The present study tested for diagnostic differences in two forms of intolerance of uncertainty and examined if changes in the forms of intolerance of uncertainty contribute to improved treatment outcomes. Participants were …
Read More »Anxiety sensitivity moderates the painful effects of feeling burdensome to others
Many of us will experience feeling burdensome to others at some point in our lifetime. Individuals who perceive themselves as burdensome often feel that they fail to contribute to others (e.g., their family, society), and that the world would be better off if they were gone. Feeling burdensome is related …
Read More »Advancing cognitive behaviour therapy for older adults with comorbid insomnia and depression
It is widely known that our sleep affects our mood. This is particularly relevant as we grow older because the prevalence of insomnia increases substantially with older age. Exciting research indicates that treating insomnia with cognitive behaviour therapy can reduce depression. This raises an interesting therapeutic design question: Could a …
Read More »Linking attentional control and PTSD symptom severity: the role of rumination
Experiencing trauma is quite common in the general population; in fact, about 50% of the population will experience a traumatic event in their lifetime. Experiencing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following a trauma is likewise very common; however, the persistence of these symptoms is less common, and only about …
Read More »Secondary traumatic stress in emergency medicine clinicians
Many people know that the intense and traumatic experiences soldiers face can result in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—as can civilian traumas, such as assaults or car crashes. However, many people may not realize that caring for traumatically injured patients can have the same psychological effects as the trauma itself. This …
Read More »Creating state of the art, next-generation Virtual Reality exposure therapies for anxiety disorders using consumer hardware platforms: design considerations and future directions
Anxiety disorders are common conditions that can be treated effectively with exposure techniques, a key component of cognitive behavior therapy. Dissemination of this treatment is however limited by both patient and therapist factors. Among individuals with specific phobia, for example, only half will ever seek treatment and for those who …
Read More »Therapeutic response to Cognitive Processing Therapy in White and Black female veterans with military sexual trauma-related PTSD
It is estimated that nearly one in four women will experience sexual trauma during their military service. This experience can have profound and lasting consequences, with one of the most commonly reported being posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To help these women veterans, researchers have identified and studied effective treatments, with …
Read More »Efficacy of guided self-help behavioural activation and physical activity for depression: a randomized controlled trial
In North America, one in five individuals will suffer from depression at one point in their lives, and of those who do, less than 40% will seek treatment. In an effort to increase access to services, low-intensity interventions for depression, involving minimal cost and time-investment, have emerged. Two such interventions, …
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