Self-directed approaches to the treatment of depression

Abstract

This article examines self-directed approaches to the treatment of depression. It first considers some of the reasons why the uptake of mental health services by depressed people is low, despite the high prevalence of depressive disorders and the availability of evidence-based treatments. It then looks at the role of self-management in increasing access to evidence-based treatments for depression. It also defines what self-directed treatments are and goes on to discuss the different types of self-directed therapy, the common components of self-directed interventions for depression, Internet-based interventions for depression, and the advantages and disadvantages of self-directed interventions. Finally, it summarizes the findings from research on self-directed interventions for depression and suggests directions for future research and development in this area. Some titles of self-help books that can be used in self-directed interventions are presented.