'Enhanced' counseling, support interventions slash long-term risk of depression among AD ...( Short-term intensive counseling in conj...),Health

Short-term intensive counseling in conjunction with readily available support can significantly reduce the long-term risk of depression among husbands and wives caring for spouses with Alzheimer's disease. The positive impact of these interventions continued for more than 3 years after the initial counseling sessions ended and persisted even after those with AD died or were placed in nursing homes, according to a study supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health.

The findings by Mary Mittelman, Dr. P.H. and colleagues at the New York University (NYU) School of Medicine in New York City appear in the May 1, 2004, issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. The study was conducted at the NIA-supported NYU Alzheimer's Disease Center, one of 29 such centers across the U.S. devoted to AD research and care. Dr. Mittelman's work also was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, another component of the NIH.

"Alzheimer's disease affects the whole family, not just the patient. This research offers striking evidence that distress and depressive symptoms in family caregivers can be effectively eased and that the benefits can be sustained over a long period of time," says Sidney Stahl, Ph.D., of the NIA's Behavioral and Social Research Program.

Dr. Mittelman and her colleagues followed 406 participants in the NYU Spouse-Caregiver Intervention Study, the longest-running study of an intervention for family caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease. Half of the spouse-caregivers, randomly assigned to an "enhanced" counseling group, participated in two individual and four family counseling sessions soon after enrolling in the study. They also attended weekly support groups. After the initial period of intensive counseling, the caregivers and their families were encouraged on an ongoing basis to contact counselors to help them cope with crises and other issues related to caring for someone with AD.'"/>

Contact: Doug Dollemore
dollemod@nia.nih.gov
301-496-1752
NIH/National Institute on Aging
1-May-2003

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