Novel Therapies Address Depression

Early signs of some form of dementia include a depressed mood. As the disease advances, depression, anxiety, and apathy are prevalent outcomes. But new interventions are helping to combat and make them more bearable. In a New York Times article, Andrea Peterson explores two of these interventions, Problem Adaptation Therapy (PATH) and Peaceful Mind Program, which are employed specifically with dementia patients in mind. The former centers on working out concrete issues and problems that are contributing to feeling unhappy and despondent. This intervention has been seen to reduce symptoms of depression in over 40% of therapy participants. The latter utilizes a variant of cognitive behavioral therapy to emphasize the pleasurable and good things in everyday life. It involves taking a step back in moments that are stressful or confusing, making sure to stop negative thoughts before they keep growing. With this intervention, physicians noted significant decreases in symptoms of anxiety and increases in view of quality of life. These therapies may prove to be widely more effective than other interventions, especially antidepressant drugs, which have been shown not to be successful for individuals with dementia or other forms of cognitive impairment.

Take a deeper look at this article, New Therapies Help Patients With Dementia Cope With Depression.