A recent study conducted in England found that as few as two 90-minute group therapy sessions could reduce the rate of teen mental health issues by as much as 33 percent.
The study included 19 high schools in the Greater London area, and included schools that had been trained to provide intervention therapy to high risk students and schools that had not. Students involved in the study were screened for personality factors that are strongly correlated with behavior issues such as impulsivity, hopelessness, anxiety sensitivity and sensation seeking. The therapy sessions themselves included cognitive-behavioral strategies that have been shown to aid in managing many of the stressors that contribute to these conditions.
The group sessions discussed the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that often lead to the development of long term health issues – an example being situational triggers that may lead to anxiety – while exploring means by which the teens could cope in healthy ways.
In the two years that followed the intervention therapy sessions, the teens completed questionnaires every six months that allowed the research team to track the development of of depression, anxiety, panic attacks, conduct issues, and suicidal thoughts. The results of these questionnaires are nothing short of amazing. Within the study group there was a 21 to 26 percent reduction in severe depression, anxiety and conduct problems over the course of the study. The students with high anxiety sensitivity reported a 33 percent reduction in severe anxiety problems.
The study has been extended to Montreal were 32 high schools are participating.
The cognitive behavioral therapies used by the study have a long and established history for treating these issues. They are life long solutions for many people, allowing them to live a life free from the constraints that had limited them in the past. Rebecca Ginder specializes in precisely these kinds of therapies for the treatment of anxiety disorders, depression, and many other conditions. Feel free to contact Rebecca Ginder by clicking here.
