Journal Writing As a Complementary Therapy for Reactive Depression: A Rehabilitation Teaching Program

Abstract

Brief, recurrent, reactive, or situational depression is a common and costly comorbidity that affects chronically ill patients and their family members. This article describes a program that teaches those individuals how to monitor and cope with symptoms of depression by writing daily in a journal. Twenty patients and family members attended teaching sessions at which videotaped scenes of other patients managing symptoms of depression were shown. After viewing the six scenes, participants wrote about their reactions to each scene and listed the emotions they had experienced that were similar to those shown in the tape. They were then asked to record daily for 4 months their emotions and reactions to situations and to also daily self-rate their levels of energy. They were also provided with a list of recommended activities in which to engage when they were depressed. Two psychiatric nurses evaluated the writings and concluded that the program was influential in helping patients and families overcome many emotionally draining reactions to adverse circumstances.

Creating Patient and Family Education Web Sites

“…These interventions, or evidence-based activities, information and guidelines, have been shown to improve the quality of life of caregivers as well as the successful management of HPN home care. 12, 15–19 The HPN Family Caregivers Website provides scientifically-based algorithms with step-by-step instructions for practicing the most common self-care procedures and resolving HPN home care problems. While the website content about managing HPN is specific to this patient population, the information guiding caregivers to care for their own health can be generalized to other caregivers who provide similar complex home care for other illnesses.…”

“…19, 25 Persons with reactive depression sleep poorly, ignore their health, obtain less social support and are at a higher risk for comobordities. 26 However, previous research has found that caregivers with increased depression are responsive to telehealth or online nursing interventions.…”

“…These activities and guides include therapeutic writing, prompted mood-elevating activities and sensory touch. 17, 19, 31 …”

“…17, 19, 29 Caregivers are encouraged to write about their feelings twice during the week and once on the weekend either in their checklist diaries found on the website or in a personal journal. Writing can also lead to self-disclosure, identification of problems, recognition of emotional reactions and improved cognitive processing about challenges.…”

“…This can improve physical and mental health as well as provide a positive atmosphere for caregivers and their HPN patients. 12, 19 …”