title: Optimum number of sessions for depression and anxiety.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the relationship between the number of psychological treatment sessions completed by patients (1-5 sessions, 6-8 sessions, >8 sessions) and the change in self-rated depressive and anxiety symptoms using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Recording demographic characteristics and various clinical outcome measures for all referrals to the service and examining the relationship between changes in self-reported anxiety and depression symptoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For depression, the study shows that having 6-8 sessions offers more benefit than 1-5 sessions. Having more than eight sessions does not confer any additional benefit. Indeed, there is little difference between 1-5 sessions and more than eight sessions for depression. For anxiety, symptoms appear to continue to improve with increasing numbers of treatment sessions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Beyond eight treatment sessions, there appears to be no additional improvement. This is not the case for anxiety, where continuing treatment sessions appear to reduce symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Bellshill Focused Intervention Team, NHS Lanarkshire, UK.
authors.forename: Frances
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Forde
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frame
authors.forename: Pauline
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hanlon
authors.forename: Gus
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: MacLean
authors.forename: Des
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nolan
authors.forename: Polash
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Shajahan
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Troy
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety / Q000451:nursing*; D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods; D003863:Depression / Q000451:nursing*; D006801:Humans; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing; D016896:Treatment Outcome