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Gériatrie et Psychologie Neuropsychiatrie du Vieillissement

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Therapy based on positive self-defining memories for older women with depressive disorder and associated ruminations: A pilot study Volume 19, issue 1, Mars 2021

Authors
1 Doctorante à l’Université Paris-8, École doctorale Cognition, Langage, Interaction, Laboratoire Paragraphe
2 Université de Paris 8, IED, Saint-Denis, France
* Correspondance

Depressive disorders overthrow the recovery of positive memories, this mechanism being strategically used by healthy subjects to cope with negative feelings. An adjustment to this strategy to deal with depression affecting elderly women showing ruminative responses could be obtained through the materialization of a number of positive self-defining memories. This innovative cognitive therapeutic method should allow a decrease in the rumination rate and an improvement of depressive disorders for aging women. Our study, including 14 depressed women over 65 years old showing ruminative responses, was divided into two groups according to the severity of their depressive disorder (moderate or severe). Positive self-defining memories were collected in a book during three sessions by each participant, which was autonomously used during the three following weeks. The results show a significant decrease in rumination, regardless of the disorder severity. A significant improvement of the depressive disorder was observed in the elderly women with moderate depressive disorder, but stagnated after the support phase. These data point out the interest of this therapeutic method for the treatment of patients suffering from moderate depression, while further studies will be required to adjust it for severely affected patients.