Acceptance and commitment therapy for psychiatric inpatients diagnosed with depression and insomnia: a...

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Behavioral Therapy

Background:

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is effective for depression and insomnia in outpatient settings.
• No prior research evaluated ACT as an adjunct treatment for psychiatric inpatients with depression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of manualized ACT as an adjunct to treatment as usual (TAU) for inpatients with depression and comorbid insomnia.
• To assess ACT's impact on psychological flexibility, symptom acceptance, and quality of life.

Main Methods:

• Eight inpatients with depression and insomnia received eight ACT sessions alongside TAU (CBT and medication).
• A single case series design with A-B replication was used.
• Assessments included Beck Depression Inventory-II, Regensburger Insomnia Scale, and others, conducted pre- and post-treatment.

Main Results:

• No significant changes were observed before ACT initiation.
• Significant improvements were found post-ACT for depressive symptoms, insomnia, psychological flexibility, acceptance of insomnia, and quality of life.

Conclusions:

• ACT shows promise as a transdiagnostic adjunct intervention for inpatients with depression and comorbid insomnia.
• ACT may offer benefits beyond traditional CBT by enhancing psychological flexibility and symptom acceptance.
• Further research with larger sample sizes and control groups is warranted.