Evaluating the use of brief psychological interventions in a secondary care, older adults community mental health setting to treat anxiety and depression

To meet increasing demands on secondary mental health services, a promising suggestion has been to draw on the benefits of Brief Psychological Interventions (BPIs) used in primary care services. BPIs are CBT-informed, short, problem-specific interventions, which have the potential of offering efficient and accessible support to individuals accessing mental health services. This small-scale evaluation aims to determine if BPIs can be effectively used in an older adult community mental health service. Measures of depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7) symptoms were collected pre- and post-intervention, as well as questionnaires from participants and clinicians to offer further insight into the benefits and challenges of the interventions. Some positive outcomes for participants were identified from analysing the outcome measures and questionnaires, but challenges were raised which will need addressing to ensure the use of BPIs in this secondary mental health team is sustainable and effective in the long term.