Psychotherapy via telehealth video-conferencing to treat anxiety
Anxiety represents one of the most common mental health problems in the population, and can be experienced by people of any age. Anxiety influences person’s overall wellbeing and quality of life.
This trial is not seeking participants at this time.
What are the components of anxiety?
- Emotional: feeling on edge, irritability, feelings of fear, dread and worry.
- Behavioural: being easily distracted, avoiding situations, worrisome thoughts, and being easily startled.
- Cognitive: persistent negative thoughts and intrusive worries, difficulties with concentration, focus and memory.
- Physical: increased heart rate, sweating, shaking, feeling of nausea and dizziness, muscle tension or pains, and having trouble sleeping.
Some activities, events or general circumstances can be naturally anxiety provoking for most people, and can be successfully overcome. However, some situations can be too intense, enduring or unexpected that anxiety can be difficult to manage and cope with.
Anxiety becomes a problem when it starts to significantly impact on a person’s life. For example, when it makes them adjust their routine to avoid certain activities or situations, or when it makes them feel preoccupied and overwhelmed with fear, worries or ruminations, making it difficult to focus on anything else.
Anxiety can also be induced when exposed to ongoing stress, such as the current situation surrounding COVID-19. When exposed to stress for a long time, it might trigger similar responses to those listed above.
Recognizing anxiety symptoms is therefore an important step towards learning new techniques to positively cope with experiences of anxiety, worry, and stress.
Our study aims to test a new psychotherapeutic intervention delivered via video-conferencing to help combat anxiety in people living with cognitive impairment, irrespective of their location. Our 6-week program combines education about anxiety to help people understand their symptoms, and it provides relaxation techniques to help cope with anxiety.
If you have been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or dementia and if you are currently experiencing anxiety symptoms described above, we invite you to participate.
We will do an initial screen to check your eligibility to our study.
Participation in our study is voluntary, and you may withdraw at any point.
What equipment do I need to participate?
You will need an internet connection and a device to perform video-conferencing. This device can be a computer with web camera, a tablet, iPad or smart phone.
What help is available if I have never used video-conferencing?
We will provide you with a manual with clear instructions, a video link with step by step instructions, and support over the phone to help you setup your equipment for video-conferencing.
What’s required from participants?
- Filling out questionnaires before, half-way through and after the therapy.
- Participating in weekly therapy sessions for 6 weeks delivered via video-conferencing.
- Practice techniques learnt in therapy sessions.
- Give us feedback on the ease of use of technology as well as the content of the therapeutic sessions.
What’s required from a support person?
We also invite a support person to participate, if you have one. A support person can be your partner, spouse, family member, friend or anyone who identifies as your carer. Support person does not required to live with you. Support persons are not required to live with you. They can join your therapy session remotely via video-conferencing.
The support person is encouraged to participate in therapy sessions and practise and practise the introduced techniques with you (e.g. deep breathing techniques for relaxation).
Support persons will also be given a questionnaire to complete before and after the intervention.
Your participation and feedback will help us improve this program.