Improving coping skills and managing geriatric depression through psycho-education and supportive therapy paves the way to healthy living in depressed early senescent

Vidya, Bhagat and Joash, Jayaraj (2016) Improving coping skills and managing geriatric depression through psycho-education and supportive therapy paves the way to healthy living in depressed early senescent. In: 8th MALAYSIAN CONFERENCE ON HEALTHY AGEING, 31 Mac - 02 Apr 2016, Kuala Lumpur.

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Abstract

The prime focus of this study is on the pivotal role and proven efficacy of psycho education and supportive therapy in improving coping skills and managing depression in early senescent. Patients who opted for psychotherapy over medications as the main stay of treatment and those who were poorly compliant to medications owing to the adverse effects of the latter were assimilated for this study. Eventually, active psychotherapeutic intervention was done in these patients that enabled them to be redeemed from the vicious web of depressive symptoms. The main objective of the study was to employ psycho education and supportive psychotherapy as treatment modalities to strengthen coping skills, robustly treat depressive symptoms and prolong the period of recovery and remission in depressed early senescent. Methods: Psycho education was offered to inculcate a heightened awareness on depression and steer the patients to be willing to subject themselves to combined treatment with antidepressant medications and psychotherapy when required. The cohort selected for the study were 60 patients in the age group ranging from 50 years to 65 years from various private old age homes and rehabilitation centers in Karnataka, India. They were selected by random sampling technique. Beck's depression inventory was used to assess the treatment outcome before and after administering supportive psychotherapy. The data was tabulated and its analysis revealed encouraging results. The results reveal that a non-significant difference between age groups with extent of depression in different age group of early senescent before and after therapeutic intervention (Chi-square=1.7913, p>0.05) at 5% level of significance and (Chi-square=2.4485, p>0.05) at 5% level of significance respectively. Further the Comparison of extent of depression before and after psycho-education and supportive therapy in 50 - 55, 56 - 60 age groups and as a total by Wilcoxon matched pairs test has been administered and the result reveal that significant difference between extent of depression before and after psycho-education and supportive therapy in 50 - 55 yrs of age group (Z=2.5205, p<0.05) at 5% level of significance, 56 - 60 yrs of age group (Z=2.2014, p<0.05) at 5% level of significance. It means that, the significance of 15.7%, 10.5% depression was decreased before and after the therapeutic intervention respectively. A significant difference was observed between extent of depression before and after psycho-education and extended supportive therapy in 50 - 60 yrs of age group (Z=3.2958, p<0.05) at 5% level of significance. It means that, the significance of 13.0% depression was decreased after the therapeutic intervention. The implications of this study were to develop insight and understanding among the clinicians for better geriatric care and introducing healthy living in depressed early senescent. Conclusion: We thereby, conclude that psycho-education and supportive therapy prove to be the harbingers of hope and healthy living to depressed early senescent by helping them to cope better and by alleviating their suffering through the successful resolution of depressive symptoms.

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