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Clinical Trial
. 2002 Apr 20;324(7343):947-50.
doi: 10.1136/bmj.324.7343.947.

Effectiveness of teaching general practitioners skills in brief cognitive behaviour therapy to treat patients with depression: randomised controlled trial

Michael King  1 , Oliver Davidson, Fiona Taylor, Andrew Haines, Deborah Sharp, Rebecca Turner
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Effectiveness of teaching general practitioners skills in brief cognitive behaviour therapy to treat patients with depression: randomised controlled trial

Michael King et al. BMJ. .

Abstract

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of teaching general practitioners skills in brief cognitive behaviour therapy.

Design: Parallel group, cluster randomised, controlled trial of an educational package on cognitive behaviour therapy.

Setting: General practices in north London.

Participants: 84 general practitioner principals and 272 patients attending their practices who scored above the threshold for psychological distress on the hospital anxiety and depression scale.

Intervention: A training package of four half days on brief cognitive behaviour therapy.

Main outcome measures: Scores on the depression attitude questionnaire (general practitioners) and the Beck depression inventory (patients).

Results: Doctors' knowledge of depression and attitudes towards its treatment showed no major difference between intervention and control groups after 6 months. The training had no discernible impact on patients' outcomes.

Conclusion: General practitioners may require more training and support than a basic educational package on brief cognitive behaviour therapy to acquire skills to help patients with depression.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow of general practitioners through trial
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flow of patients through trial
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References

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