Journal of Psychology & Psychotherapy
Open Access
ISSN: 2161-0487
+44 1478 350008
ISSN: 2161-0487
+44 1478 350008
Asma Salam
University of Health Sciences, Pakistan
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Psychol Psychother
Introduction: Depression is one of the common mental health issues in old age. Pharmacological therapy has been used for a long time to treat depression but due to side-effects of drug therapy in old age, non-pharmacological interventions such as reminiscence and life review therapies are considered useful options to treat old age depression. However, the efficacy of these therapies in treating depression in the elderly is still under discussion. Therefore, the main objective of this systematic review was to determine the effectiveness of reminiscence and life review therapies for the management of depression in the elderly by reviewing already existing scientific literature. Methods: A literature search was performed using online databases such as Pubmed, EMBASE, MEDLINE and Cochrane Review. Titles and abstracts of the articles were analyzed for relevance. Randomized controlled trials were given preference. Results: Thirteen studies were reviewed in detail which met the inclusion criteria. The studies not only varied in outcome measurements and types of intervention but also in results. However, overall 8 out of 13 reviewed studies showed significantly reduced depression in the elderly subjects after applying reminiscence/life-review interventions. Conclusion: Therefore, reminiscence and life review therapies should be considered a useful intervention for the treatment of depression in old age.
Email: drasmasalam7@gmail.com