Investigation into the effectiveness of a primary care psychology group for postnatal depression and anxiety
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Investigation into the effectiveness of a primary care psychology group for postnatal depression and anxiety

Michelle Wratten Psychological well-being practitioner, Wiltshire Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Service, Green Lane Hospital, Devizes
Rachael Armstrong Assistant psychologist, Least Intervention First Time (LIFT) Psychology, Swindon
Jon Freeman Clinical Psychologist, LIFT, Psychology, Swindon
Mary Owen Clinical Psychologist, LIFT, Psychology, Swindon

The aim of this service evaluation was to assess the effectiveness of a cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) group in primary care for women with postnatal depression and anxiety. Previous research has found that postnatal depression may be connected to the sometimes challenging and overwhelming transition to motherhood, and it is a condition that often goes untreated. Further research also indicates that CBT is more effective than placebo controls and antidepressants, and is gathering a robust evidence base as a treatment for this condition. This paper presents findings that looked at self-reported symptoms in women who received a CBT-based group intervention. Results show that participants did experience a clinically significant reduction in symptoms of depression and anxiety according to the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) reliable improvement index. This lends support to previous research and demonstrates that group-based CBT in a primary care psychology service can be effective for women with postnatal depression and anxiety.

Mental Health Practice. 20, 4, 29-32. doi: 10.7748/mhp.2016.e1177

Correspondence

Michelle.Wratten@nhs.net

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Conflict of interest

None declared

Received: 10 May 2016

Accepted: 22 July 2016

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