2023-10-30 21:00:57
Lead author Dr. Scott A. Langenecker, professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at The Ohio State University Wenxer Medical Center, adds: “We know that adolescent development is critical. Their brains are still developing and habits are forming. Interventions such as Rumination Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (RF-CBT) can make a difference, directing them towards mentally healthy adult behavior.
Our results suggest that the therapy is developmentally appropriate and effective in addition to being accessible, particularly via telehealth.”
Break out of the vicious circle of rumination
What is RF-CBT therapy? The therapy was developed by Ed Watkins, professor of clinical psychology at the University of Exeter. The therapy has already been shown to be effective in adults with recurrent depression. It combines some elements of CBT with imagery, visualization and compassion techniques.
The study also confirms previous research according to which rumination can be reduced thanks to this type of intervention called RF-CBT. Additionally, here, fMRI allows researchers to observe correlated changes in brain connectivity associated with this pattern of overthinking.
The team looked at whether this therapy might be adapted and provide benefits to a younger population suffering from mental rumination, specifically with 76 adolescents aged 14 to 17 with a history of depression, distributed to follow at 10 to 14 RF-CBT sessions or follow standard therapy. Experience confirms that with RF-CBT therapy,
adolescents report ruminating much less; fMRI reveals changes in brain connectivity, evidence of changes at the neuronal level; specifically, FMRI shows a reduction in the connection between the left posterior cingulate cortex and 2 other regions, the right inferior frontal gyrus and the right inferior temporal gyrus. These areas, involved in self-referential thinking and processing of emotional stimuli respectively, suggest that RF-CBT may improve the brain’s ability to break out of the vicious cycle of rumination.
“For the first time, a study shows that it is possible to develop TTC-type therapies that are effective in reducing rumination, such as RF-CBT, developed at the University of Exeter. These therapies result in observable changes in the connectivity of brain regions in adolescents with a history of depression compared to standard therapies.”
RF-CBT helps patients gain control over rumination. The authors intend to validate these positive results on a larger sample of patients, and with their confirmation, plan to strengthen young people’s access to this type of clinical therapy.
1698699764
#RUMINATION #TTC #overcome
