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Group psychotherapy and people with dementia
- Authors:
- CHESTON R., JONES K., GILLIARD J.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 7(6), November 2003, pp.452-461.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Psychotherapy and counselling approaches are being used increasingly with people with dementia, but there has been little structured research into the effectiveness of such work. This research reports findings from the evaluation of six, ten-week long psychotherapy groups for people with dementia in the south of England. Measures of depression and anxiety were taken independently of the clinical work at four time points: six weeks before the group began, at the start of the group, at the end of the group and at follow-up after a gap of ten-weeks. Forty-two participants entered the project at different points, of whom 19 completed the baseline, intervention and follow-up phases of the project. Analysis of the data for depression and anxiety levels using a repeated measures ANOVA showed a statistically significant treatment effect for Cornell depression scores which was maintained at follow-up and a similar reduction in anxiety as measured by the rating for anxiety in dementia (RAID) which was borderline for significance. Although not all people with dementia would be suitable for group psychotherapy, nevertheless this research provides some of the first clear evidence that group psychotherapy may have a role to play in reducing levels of depression and anxiety of people with mild and moderate levels of dementia.
Inhabitants of a lost kingdom: a model of the subjective experiences of dementia
- Authors:
- BENDER M.P., CHESTON R.
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 17(5), September 1997, pp.513-532.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Current concepts of dementia often act to exclude the internal world of the dementia sufferer from consideration as a valid object of study. This article presents a three stage model of the subjective world of dementia sufferers, drawing on ideas from both clinical and social psychology. The first stage involves the feelings engendered by the process of dementia and includes at least four discrete states: anxiety; depression; grief; and despair/terror. The second stage of the model concerns the behaviour provoked in response to the process of decline. Finally considers the social nature of emotional behaviour, with emotional actions falling along a continuum. This model has implications for the delivery of services, including psychotherapy, to people with dementia.