Psychology

Combined MI + CBT for depressive symptoms and binge drinking among young adults: Two case studies

Document Type

Article

Abstract

There are high rates of comorbidity between heavy drinking and depressive symptoms among college students, often resulting in severe alcohol-related consequences. No empirically supported treatment exists that concurrently addresses both of these problems in this population. Research with college students has demonstrated that brief motivational interventions (BMIs) reduce heavy drinking and alcohol-related consequences, and that cognitive behavioral therapy for depression (CBT-D) is effective in reducing depressive symptoms. Thus, a program combining BMI and CBT-D appears ideal for college students with co-occurring binge drinking and depressive symptoms. This manuscript presents the rationale and format of a BMI 1 CBT-D treatment protocol for this population, and provides a case example of a female college student who received the protocol and experienced improvement in depressive symptoms, a reduction in alcohol use and alcohol-related negative consequences, and an increase in readiness to change alcohol consumption. We discuss theoretical and clinical implications of these findings, and suggest directions for future research. ©2013 Springer Publishing Company.

Publication Title

Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy

Publication Date

2013

Volume

27

Issue

3

First Page

235

Last Page

257

ISSN

0889-8391

DOI

10.1891/0889-8391.27.3.235

Keywords

binge drinking, brief motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy treatment, college students, depressive symptoms

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