The Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy on Depressive Symptoms among Young People in the Netherlands

A Systematic Review

Abstract

The study aim to examine the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy in reducing depressive symptoms among young people between the age of 12 and 25years in the Netherlands. This systematic review aims at assessing the efficacy of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in the reduction of depressive symptoms among youths in the Netherlands aged between twelve and twenty-five years. The type of investigation used in the study is quantitative, and the PRISMA guidelines are used in the process. A search strategy was designed based on the PICO approach to search for the relevant articles in PubMed, PsycINFO, Embase, Web of Science and other databases. Classification of inclusion and exclusion was done with reference to the population, intervention, comparison, and outcome. The data extraction and the quality assessment were done by using some tools which are standard. The synthesis of findings follows the SWiM approach, which enables the examination of the evidence accounting for a number of factors that may enhance or hinder the effectiveness of CBT in this regard. This review provides evidence that CBT indeed works in order to reduce depressive symptoms of Dutch youths but not equally. Research provides proof of a reduction in symptoms in all the patients that underwent CBT across most of the modules with up to 24.3% remission rates. The data compares the effectiveness of CBT with TAU, which ranges from a little higher to similar. It is evident again that the order of the CBT modules affects the results stressing the significance of individual strategies. This systematic review is a conclusion that after application of the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), depressive symptoms reduce among the Dutch youth aged between 12 to 25 years. Therefore, CBT should be included in mental health policies and programs with focus on the accessibility and early adoption. CBT should therefore be delivered according to the client’s need and cultural background. Moreover, future research can look into the longitudinal impacts of CBT and how it can be implemented with technology incorporation for better results in the future and how CBT will affect different groups of people.