Acquired brain injury can often lead to serious emotional problems and is associated with increased incidence of depression and suicide. Careful management and treatment of depression is essential, with one of the most common methods being cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Use of CBT is challenging after brain injury, especially where cognitive impairment is present, such as difficulty recalling or retrieving emotional memories.
The SenseCam is a wearable camera that supports recall by recording events in response to triggers such as movement. This single-patient study builds on previous research in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of using the device.
The subject was asked to attend three family events that would cause an anxious reaction. He used a different method to record each event, including SenseCam, the conventional strategy of automatic thought record sheets (ATRs) and a 'no strategy' control condition. He was allowed to use the information gathered to rehearse his memory and was then tested for his recall of these events over a three week period.
The results showed that the SenseCam supported retrieval of anxiety trigger events. The subject recalled 94% of information using SenseCam, compared to 39% for 'no strategy' and just 22% using ATRs. This shows that SenseCam could be a useful aid in psychotherapies that rely on the retrieval of anxiety trigger events.
Reference
Brindley R, Bateman A, Gracey F. Exploration of use of SenseCam to support autobiographical memory retrieval within a cognitive-behavioural therapeutic intervention following acquired brain injury. Memory [serial online]. October 1, 2011;19(7):745.
Available from:
AMED - The Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, Ipswich, MA. Accessed August 8, 2012.
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