Link between talking therapy and lower rates of dementia assessed

older person in talk therapy - Using talking therapies to effectively treat depression in adults over the age of 65 may be clinically linked with slightly reduced rates of future dementia diagnosis, finds a new analysis of health data led by UCL researchers. In this first-of-its-kind study, published in  Psychological Medicine  and funded by the Alzheimer's Society, researchers assessed whether psychological therapies, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), used to treat depression could play a role in dementia risk reduction. According to the UCL-led  Lancet Commission on dementia prevention, intervention, and care* , approximately 40% of dementia cases may be related to potentially modifiable risk factors. Previous studies have also shown that people with depression during older adulthood may be more likely to subsequently develop dementia. Researchers examined data from 119,808 people over the age of 65 with clinically significant levels of depression, who had accessed treatment via the national 'Improving Access To Psychological Therapies' (IAPT) service, between 2012 and 2019. IAPT is a free NHS service and offers CBT, counselling and guided self-help, with sessions delivered either face-to-face individually or groups or online. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)**, which considers factors such as a lack of interest in doing things, issues with sleep, and feelings of low mood.