COVID-19 has created dramatic population behavioural change. In the NHS, remote working was organised in days, a behavioural change that seemed highly unlikely at the beginning of 2020.
With lockdown, families had to adjust to a new context, and were presenting with behaviours that were both adaptive and maladaptive. With this in mind, we present an overview of the key elements of behavioural activation (BA) for young people with depressed mood. We believe that using BA explicitly will be useful for those families and young people who show maladaptive behaviours, such as:
excessive anxious avoidant behaviours,
behavioural change due to depressed mood,
frustration about thwarted goals and aspirations.
We consider BA to be an important tool to help families notice and understand their adaptive and maladaptive behaviours, not only within the context of COVID-19, but also more generally. BA can create choices and opportunities to develop more adaptive coping behaviours.
We will cover the evidence base and the key parts of BA for depression. BA can structure and ground conversations between professionals and families, by helping young people and family members adjust goals and activities in order to negotiate the COVID-19 experience. Many young people may struggle to manage their time during this difficult period, and BA can provide the tools to help them with their activities and routines and provide a structure for the day.
Activities are suggested for yourself as well, particularly about values and goal readjustment during COVID-19 and beyond.
We are pleased to offer this module free for those without a paid subscription. If you are a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, you can log in straight away using the same username and password with which you access the members' area of the College website. Otherwise, all you need to do is register with the College.
