'Beating the Blues': a computerised cognitive behaviour therapy programme
Author(s): Judy Proudfoot and her team at the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College, London and Ultrasis plc Country: United Kingdom
Is the intervention sector specific?	No
Is the intervention usable with different enterprise sizes?	Yes
Is the intervention equally applicable to both genders?	Yes
Is the intervention based on theory?	Yes
Can the intervention approach be adapted/ tailored?	Yes
Does the intervention promote CSR and how?	The intervention was not explicitly linked to responsible business practices although it does promote employee well-being
Does the intervention promote social dialogue and how?	Social dialogue was not a key component of this intervention
Overview (including risk assessment and law – legal requirements etc.): ‘Beating the Blues’ is a computerized interactive cognitive behavioural therapy programme; which seeks to help people suffering with mild and moderate depression to get better and stay better. This programme teaches individuals life-long skills to more effectively manage and cope with mental health issues and their causes and consequences. ‘Beating the Blues’ has been primarily used in primary care settings; however, more recently, this programme has been trialed in the public sector to address emotional distress in employees with recent stress-related absenteeism.
Implementation: ‘Beating the Blues’ is made up of 8 weekly sessions; with each session taking approximately 50 minutes to complete. The ‘Beating the Blues’ programme addresses both cognitive and behavioural components. The cognitive components explored during the programme are automatic thoughts, thinking errors and distraction, challenging unhelpful thinking, core beliefs and attributional style1. The behavioural components of ‘Beating The Blues’ for tackling specific problems consist of: activity scheduling, task breakdown, problem solving, sleep management, relaxation training and biofeedback, planning and prioritizing and graded exposure. Cognitive and behavioural exercises are prescribed at the end of each session and debriefed at the start of the next. A weekly progress report of distress self-ratings and suicidal ideation is generated for the user and for the supervising clinician. The programme concludes with a programme review, goal setting and action planning.
Practical applications: This computerized therapeutic programme has a user-friendly approach with self-guided format which can be used at the convenience and discretion of its user. Consequently, minimal input is required in the implementation of this programme by a set of professionals; albeit a supervising clinician is recommended to monitor progress and provide additional support.
Innovative aspects: ‘Beating the Blues’ is an interactive computerised cognitive behavioural therapeutic programme which guides the patient through the various stages of therapy in exactly the same way a therapist would in face-to-face sessions; whilst minimising the need for a trained professional to implement or guide the process. ‘Beating the Blues’ can respond to patients’ particular circumstances or problems; and ensure that the training of new ways of thinking and behaving is completed at a self-determined pace.
Evaluation (including process issues, outcomes and sustainability): The effectiveness of ‘Beating the Blues’ programme was evaluated by comparing sick-listed employees randomly assigned to either an ‘intervention group’ (using the ‘Beating the Blues’ programme plus conventional care2) or a group that received solely convention care. Measurements on depression, anxiety and attributional style were taken at the end of treatment, and 1, 3 and 6 months later. Additionally, the employees’ weekly progress report was reviewed by the scientific investigator to examine participation.
Benefits (including cost effectiveness): This study compared the effects of ‘Beating The Blues’ plus conventional care, to conventional care alone, on emotional distress in public service employees with recent stress-related absenteeism. The results of the evaluation indicate that directly following and one month later after the completion of treatment a significant reduction in employee’s depression and negative attribution scores were observed. Additionally, one month following the programme a significant reduction in employees’ anxiety scores, as compared to conventional care, were observed. These differences were not observed at 3 months and 6 months.
References: Grime, P. R. (2004). Computerized cognitive behavioural therapy at work: a randomized controlled trial in employees with recent stress-related absenteeism.Occupational Medicine 54, 353-359.
Comments: 1 Attributional style refers to the optimism or pessimism with which people explain why things or events occur to them.