A feasibility RCT of an evidence-based creative group psychotherapy for adults with symptoms of depression (Arts for the Blues) in NHS Talking Therapies.

Project Description

A feasibility RCT of a creative group therapy for depression called Arts for the Blues in NHS Talking Therapies. Aim We aim to find out if we can carry out a large study in creative therapy for depression called Arts for the Blues in the NHS. We intend to offer more options of therapies for people using the NHS. Background Depression is one of the most common mental health problems in the world and causes a lot of concern. In the UK, around 20% of people suffer from depression which costs about £27 billion per year. There are number of therapies for depression including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). In these therapies, therapists help people to talk in order to understand and manage their problems. There is a lot of evidence that these therapies are effective for depression. However, about half of the people who use these therapies do not complete all the sessions. It is possible that this is because these therapies do not always meet the service users’ needs. Given that a lot of people struggle with depression the NHS needs to offer more choice of therapies. Research suggests that creative therapies might be a good alternative for people who find it difficult to talk about their problems as they use drawing, songs or movement to express difficulties. Both research on what service users want as well as our Public and Patients’ Involvement group (PPIE) say that they would like to see creative therapies offered in the NHS. To address this need, we developed a new creative therapy for depression combining talking and arts therapies called Arts for the Blues. Following a small evaluation involving 7 service users in the charity MIND, we found that this therapy was helpful. However, to check that the therapy is acceptable and helps to reduce people’s depression we need to test it through a larger clinical trial. Clinical trials are an accepted way of testing therapies to make sure that they are helpful for people. Design and methods Before doing a clinical trial, we need to check that the way we intend to run the trial will work. This is called a feasibility study. In this feasibility study we want to make sure that the research questions about the effectiveness of Arts for the Blues can be answered and that the trial design is feasible. We aim to recruit 60 adults (18 years and over) from NHS Talking Therapies who struggle with symptoms of depression. Those who agree to take part will be put into two groups by chance (randomised), to receive either the usual treatment for depression or 12 sessions of Arts for the Blues. In order to check if Arts for the Blues can be helpful, we will measure and compare participants’ symptoms of depression at the start of the study, 3 and 6 months after the end of the study. We will also interview participants about their experiences of Arts for the Blues and whether they found it helpful. This information will help to guide the development and further testing of this therapy in the future. Patient and public involvement Our Patient and Public Involvement (PPIE) group consists of six members and includes participants from our other PPIE events and Arts for the Blues in MIND. We have been meeting every two or three months and the meetings include a creative activity and a consultation. The group commented on a range of issues that informed this project including the usefulness of the model, practicalities of therapy sessions, trial design options and outcome measures. This summary of the project has been also discussed. The meetings will continue throughout the study. Dissemination The findings will be presented on the project’s website and also during public events such as Festival of Social Science. We will engage in Making Research Count initiative linking research findings with national challenges such as health inequalities. We aim to address policy by submitting for example an inquiry to the UK Government Health and Social Care