The British Journal of Psychiatry (2006) 188: 192. doi: 10.1192/bjp.188.2.192-a
© 2006 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
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Correspondence

Brief psychotherapy for Alzheimer’s disease

D. White

Edward Street Hospital, West Bromwich, West Midlands B70 8NL, UK.

Correspondence: E-mail: David.White{at}smhsct.nhs.uk

EDITED BY KIRIAKOS XENITIDIS and COLIN CAMPBELL

I read with interest the paper by Burns et al (2005). This study into an under-researched and important matter is welcome. However, I would like to comment on the conclusions.

The authors quite appropriately comment that the lack of any quantifiable effect of their psychotherapy could result from the small sample size or the relative insensitivity of the outcome measures. They present qualitative data on participants’ experience of the psychotherapy which show the therapy in a positive light. The collection of these data was highly biased, since participants in the ‘standard care’ arm of the trial were not asked about their experience of their treatment. In addition, these patients were not followed-up in the same way as those receiving the therapy. I suspect that if multidisciplinary, holistic care were being provided as it should, these patients would have made equally positive comments about their community psychiatric nurse, social worker, psychiatrist or general practitioner.

The authors of this study have neither devised the adapted therapy (this was described by Brierley et al, 2003), nor have they shown that the therapy works. Hence I disagree with the authors’ main conclusion that ‘this study shows it is possible to adapt a model of psychotherapy for those with Alzheimer’s disease’. They have none the less presented some interesting preliminary data, suggesting a potential benefit of the therapy. I look forward to further research in this area.

REFERENCES

  1. Brierley, E., Guthrie, E., Busby, C., Brierley, E., Guthrie, E., Busby, C., et al (2003) Psychodynamic interpersonal therapy for early Alzheimer’s disease. British Journal of Psychotherapy, 19, 435 –446.[CrossRef]
  2. Burns, A., Guthrie, E., Marino-Francis, F., et al (2005) Brief psychotherapy in Alzheimer’s disease. Randomised controlled trial. British Journal of Psychiatry, 187, 143 –147.[Abstract/Free Full Text]




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