Group Metacognitive Therapy for Anxiety and Depression in Cancer Survivors

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL · Feb 6, 2018

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

Survival rates in cancer continue to improve, with over 2 million adult cancer survivors in the United Kingdom, projected to increase to 4 million by 2030. Around 25% of these survivors require treatment for clinical levels of emotional distress. Current pharmacological treatments are not very effective and are not well tolerated by patients, who prefer psychological treatments. However, meta-analyses of well-controlled studies of psychological treatments indicate that these achieve only small effect sizes. Reflecting this limited efficacy in the face of the need for psychological treatment...

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Cancer diagnosis at least 6 months previously
• • A score of at least 15 on the Total scale score of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)
• • Sufficient understanding of English to consent and engage in therapy
• • Stable on, or free from, psychotropic medication
• • Minimum of 18 years old
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • History of psychotic disorder, learning disability, or organic mental disorder
• • Risk of self-harm or suicide warranting immediate intervention
• • In palliative phase of treatment
• • Being considered for risk-reducing or reconstructive surgery within 1 year
• • Concurrent psychological intervention for emotional distress
• • Cognitive impairment precluding informed consent or participation
• • Undergoing acute medical treatment (e.g. chemotherapy, radiotherapy)
• • Current drug/alcohol abuse