Kognitiv atferdsbehandling av generalisert angstlidelse og depresjon hos eldre: På tide å teste ut nye metoder?

Abstract

Cognitive behaviour therapy for older adults with generalised anxiety disorder and depression – Shouldnew interventions be tested? Research on treatment of generalised anxiety disorder and depression among older adults (60+) has some challenges. Treatment guidelines recommend pharmacological treatment and cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), but the effects suggest that there is room for improvement. Furthermore, generalised anxiety disorder and depression are not necessarily two distinct disorders and may share common underlying mechanisms such as repetitive negative thinking like worry and rumination. Transdiagnostic treatment options targeting these thinking processes should therefore be developed. In this current paper, CBT for depression and generalized anxiety disorder is compared with metacognitive therapy (MCT). Results suggest that MCT could be more effective than CBT. However, MCT has not been tested with elderly patients. We therefore recommend that MCT and CBT for older adults with anxiety and depression should be compared using a randomised controlled trial design.