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The Effect of Comorbid Depression on Sudden Gains During Transdiagnostic Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for Anxiety Disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 January 2021

Sasha D'Arcy Open the ORCID record for Sasha D'Arcy [Opens in a new window]  and
Peter J. Norton Open the ORCID record for Peter J. Norton [Opens in a new window]
Sasha D'Arcy
Affiliation:
School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
Peter J. Norton*
Affiliation:
The Cairnmillar Institute, Camberwell, Victoria, Australia
*
*Corresponding author: Peter J. Norton, The Cairnmillar Institute, 391-393 Tooronga Road, Hawthorn East, VIC3123, Australia. Email: peter.norton@cairnmillar.edu.au.
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Abstract

During psychotherapy some patients experience large symptom improvements between sessions, termed sudden gains. Most commonly, sudden gains are observed during treatment for depression (40–50% of participants), but these are occasionally also observed in treatment for anxiety (15–20%). This study investigated the impact of comorbid depression on sudden gains in a primary anxiety sample. It was hypothesised that sudden gains would occur more frequently in participants with anxiety and comorbid depression than anxiety-only participants. The sample consisted of 58 adults who participated in a 12-week transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioural therapy (tCBT) programme. Sudden gains were more frequent in the comorbid depression group than in the anxiety-only group. Sudden gains may be predominantly a function of depressive disorders, which supports the higher rates seen in depressive disorders compared with anxiety disorders. Future research should endeavour to replicate these findings, as this was the first study designed to specifically investigate comorbidity in sudden gains.

Keywords

sudden gainsanxietydepressioncomorbiditycognitive-behavioural therapytransdiagnostic cognitive-behavioural therapy
Type
Standard Paper
Information
Behaviour Change , Volume 38 , Issue 2 , June 2021 , pp. 84 - 94
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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