Chatwin Hannah, Stapleton Peta, Porter Brett, Devine Sharon, Sheldon Terri
, mc lin p sych, is a senior research assistant in the School of Psychology at Bond University in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. , p h d , is an assistant professor in the School of Psychology at Bond University. , eft p ractitioner, is the director and a therapist at the Lakeside Rooms in Gold Coast, Queensland. , mc lin p sych, is a research assistant in the School of Psychology at Bond University. , ba ( h ons), is a therapist at the Lakeside Rooms.
Integr Med (Encinitas). 2016 Apr;15(2):27-34.
The World Health Organization (WHO) places major depressive disorder (MDD), or depression, as the fourth leading cause of disability worldwide. Some studies have found that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) represents the most superior approach in treating mild to severe symptoms. Recent literature has indicated a number of limitations to this therapeutic approach. An approach that has received increasing attention within the literature is the emotional freedom technique (EFT).
The current pilot study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of CBT and EFT in the treatment of depression and comorbid anxiety.
The research team designed a pilot study structured as a randomized, controlled trial with 2 intervention arms.
The study took place at Bond University in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Participants (n = 10) were local community members who had screened positive for a primary diagnosis of MDD.
Participants were randomly assigned to an 8-wk CBT or EFT treatment program, the intervention groups. A sample of individuals from the community was assessed for comparative purposes (control group) (n = 57).
Pre- and postintervention, all participants were interviewed using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) 6.0, and they completed the following validated questionnaires: (1) the Beck Depression Inventory, second edition (BDI-2) and (2) the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS-21).
Findings revealed that both treatment approaches produced significant reductions in depressive symptoms, with the CBT group reporting a significant reduction postintervention, which was not maintained with time. The EFT group reported a delayed effect involving a significant reduction in symptoms at the 3- and 6-mo follow-ups only. Examination of the individual cases revealed clinically significant improvements in anxiety across both interventions.
Overall, the findings provide evidence to suggest that EFT might be an effective treatment strategy worthy of further investigation.
世界卫生组织（WHO）将重度抑郁症（MDD）或抑郁症列为全球第四大致残原因。一些研究发现，认知行为疗法（CBT）是治疗轻至重度症状的最有效方法。最近的文献指出了这种治疗方法的一些局限性。一种在文献中受到越来越多关注的方法是情绪自由技术（EFT）。
当前的试点研究旨在评估CBT和EFT在治疗抑郁症及共病焦虑症方面的有效性。
研究团队设计了一项试点研究，该研究为随机对照试验，有两个干预组。
该研究在澳大利亚昆士兰州黄金海岸的邦德大学进行。
参与者（n = 10）是当地社区成员，他们被初步诊断为MDD呈阳性。
参与者被随机分配到一个为期8周的CBT或EFT治疗项目，即干预组。从社区中抽取了一组个体作为对照进行评估（对照组）（n = 57）。
在干预前后，所有参与者都使用迷你国际神经精神病学访谈（MINI）6.0进行了访谈，并完成了以下经过验证的问卷：（1）贝克抑郁量表第二版（BDI - 2）和（2）抑郁、焦虑和压力量表（DASS - 21）。
研究结果显示，两种治疗方法都使抑郁症状显著减轻，CBT组在干预后报告症状显著减轻，但随着时间推移并未持续。EFT组报告了延迟效应，仅在3个月和6个月随访时症状显著减轻。对个体病例的检查显示，两种干预措施在焦虑方面都有临床上的显著改善。
总体而言，研究结果提供了证据表明EFT可能是一种值得进一步研究的有效治疗策略。
