Primary Care Group Therapy for Depression/Anxiety for Women in Petropolis

The intervention included two psycho-educational sessions with information about depression and anxiety disorders, two sessions on the development of pleasant activities including relaxation exercises, two sessions on solving problems therapy, one session on the problem of overcoming negative thoughts and emotions, one session on relapse prevention, and a final closure and review session which included a small party.

All patients received enhanced primary care: (1) Nurses and doctors from the Family Health Teams were trained by Matrix team mental health professionals on clinical aspects of depression and anxiety. (2) Given the high co-occurrence of anxiety and depression, the intervention was modified from the depression-only Chile model to emphasize co-occurring anxiety and depression in diagnoses, appropriate prescription of anxiolytics and antidepressants. (3) All providers received weekly group or individual consultation with a Matrix team mental health professional, either psychiatrist or psychologist. An qualitative study of participating Petrópolis Family Health Programme doctors and nurses demonstrated their satisfaction with the training.