A recent study published in the medical journal General Hospital Psychiatry draws the following conclusion:
"Based on the pooled results from published RCTs, peer support interventions for depression result in greater improvement in depression symptoms than usual care and may have similar efficacy to group cognitive behavioral therapy. ... Given the high level of functional burden imposed by depression world-wide, peer support for depression should also be studied as a potentially low-cost intervention in primary care or other settings where more established but costly depression services are unavailable."
The article has some interesting notes in its introduction where it talks about mechanisms at work in peer support, it says:
"... According to her analysis, peer support interventions may decrease isolation (direct effect), reduce the impact of stressors (buffering effect), increase sharing of health and self-management information (direct effect), and provide positive role modeling (mediating effect)[15]. Yalom describes peer support groups as having many similar features to group psychotherapy: altruism, cohesiveness, universality, imitative behavior, instillation of hope, and catharsis[16]. Peer support programs may also empower patients to play a more active role in their own self-care[17]."
At Hamilton Recovery meetings we are careful to not diagnosis each other, or to give advice. Our primary focus is to teach methods that are helpful in addressing mental health issues. We encourage attendees to seek assistance from a professional. However the reality that many of our members have faced is that psychiatrists covered by OHIP or other insurance policies can be busy and difficult to make appointments with. Paying for counselling outside of an insurance plan can be very expensive.
In the introduction to Mental Health through Will Training Dr. Abraham Low talks about the same reality. In his comments on the availability of psychoanalysis he writes:
"The reason for its restricted availability is the egregious amount of time needed for the administration of the treatment, an overall average of hundreds of hours being required for each individual patient. For patients cared for in private practice there is the added handicap that the time-consuming process involves a necessarily exorbitant expense. Whether the emphasis be on the time factor or the cost element, in either case, the method is all but unavailable for the masses of patients."
Low compares the number of individuals that he was able to successfully treat through group therapy with the number he treated in one-on-one consultation and he makes similar observations to the recent article. He concludes that volunteer based peer support is effective at reaching large numbers, and has benefits that can enhance support provided by a professional.
Low talks about the camaraderie that develops between group members and how new attendees often find people they can relate to. The personal relationships formed between group members can be a powerful antidote to the difficulties of modern life.
We meet every week and we talk about Dr. Low's method and discuss chapters from his book Mental Health through Will Training. You are welcome to join us.
More Information
An Austin Psychologist talks about CBT
The Power of Peers for Brain Health and Advocacy
