Help to overcome depression and low mood

Inspired by the ‘Overcoming Worry & Anxiety’ self-help programme, an upcoming study aims to test the effectiveness of a similar intervention for people with PH who experience depression or low mood – with the hope of making it available to all.

Abbie Stark, the Trainee Clinical Psychologist at Cardiff University leading the study, explains more…

Depression is a term that is used to describe a range of symptoms or difficult experiences such as low mood, feelings of hopelessness, negative thoughts about yourself or others, difficulties with concentration, loss of interest or pleasure, fatigue and tiredness, problems with sleep, or a change in appetite.

It is common for everyone to report some of these experiences now and again and they often improve over time and without the need for help from others such as healthcare professionals. However, clinical depression is where someone experiences these symptoms for a longer period, resulting in a negative impact on their quality of life.

There are many studies demonstrating that people with pulmonary hypertension are at an increased risk of experiencing symptoms of depression. For example, if we asked ten people with pulmonary hypertension at random, research suggests that almost six of them would report some symptoms of depression. This means that if you are experiencing symptoms of depression, you are not alone.

There is not much research about psychological treatments for depression in people with pulmonary hypertension, and so we have set up a research project with the aim of helping people and understanding the condition better.

We have developed a self-help intervention specifically for adults with PH who are experiencing difficulties with depression. The intervention is based on a type of psychological treatment called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT for short.

About CBT

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) looks at the way people think and what they do, and how this affects their mood.

It involves making changes to thoughts and behaviours and it can help people develop more helpful ways of coping with depression, and other mental health difficulties such as anxiety.

CBT is one of the most effective therapies for depression.

The intervention is made up of four booklets that individuals will work though weekly, in their own time and at home. The aim of this study is to test whether the self-help booklets are helpful in reducing depression in people with pulmonary hypertension.

Those taking part will be asked to complete a series of questions about themselves, including whether they are experiencing any difficulties such as depression and anxiety.

They will then be allocated at random to one of two groups. Group one will receive the self-help booklets, and group two may receive the intervention later if it is found to be helpful. Having two groups is very important as it will allow us to see whether any benefits associated with taking part in the project were because of the intervention, or something else.

Participants in group one will be contacted partway through the intervention to ask about their experiences of taking part. Both groups will be asked to complete a series of questionnaires four weeks later, and then again in one month. Those in group one will then be contacted again to find out more about their experiences of the project.

I have always been interested in making a difference to the quality of life of people with mental health difficulties and long-term health conditions, and I am hopeful this research may help increase the psychological support that is available.

If you would like to know when recruitment for this study opens, please email office@phauk.org and we will contact you when the time comes (simply pop ‘Depression study’ in the subject line, no other content is needed). We’ll also be advertising opportunities to get involved via our social media channels.

Abbie is leading the study as part of her training at Cardiff University, in collaboration with Nottingham Trent University and the PHA UK. We plan to make the self-help programme available to all of our members in due course, following the outcome of the study.

If you live with depression, you’re not on your own. Please turn the page to read the experiences of other people with PH.