A series of brief cognitive therapy interventions with people experiencing both dementia and depression: a description of techniques and common themes

Depression in the context of dementia is common, but treatment approaches are under‐developed. This paper presents one of the first case series of cognitive therapy interventions with individuals with concurrent dementia and depression. Seven patients diagnosed as having mild/moderate dementia (MMSE range 20–30) each received eight individual cognitive therapy sessions. On average, there was a statistically significant 3.7 point improvement on the Geriatric Depression Scale (30 items). Two of the patients showed a significant Reliable Change Index. It is argued that with some modification a cognitive therapy approach can facilitate a reduction in the level of depression experienced by this particular group. In this sample, impaired cognitive abilities did not prove to be an insurmountable obstacle to the application of cognitive therapy. A number of common themes arose, including attributions about the cause of the cognitive impairment, catastrophic thinking regarding the implications of the diagnosis and the emergence of previous trauma. Whilst a full understanding of the interrelationship between dementia and depression has yet to be developed, a body of literature is developing that describes some of the skills necessary for this type of work. Controlled studies of psychological treatments for depression in dementia are now required.