Depression not only due to Post COVID-19 Syndrome: Happiness Diary & Mental Health

Abstract

Research is always concerned with the topic of how to cure depressive symptoms or alleviate the symptoms. A central therapeutic goal in cognitive behavioral therapy is cognitive restructuring. At the behavioral level, a particular therapeutic intervention is often used to promote a more positive mindset: a positive effect on the psyche of keeping a happiness diary has already been demonstrated. The results of this work are consistent with others reported in the literature, which is why such studies should also be conducted on clinical groups. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the long-term keeping of the happiness diary and what effect this has on the depressive course symptomatology. Subjects were asked at catamnesis (6 months after the end of therapy) whether they still kept their diary regularly and were then instructed to complete the BDI-II again and return it to the practice. These scores were compared to the initial diagnostic from the patient's therapy period (pre- and post-measure-ment) and analyzed. Subjects who had not continued the happiness diary in the next 6 months after the end of therapy achieved a higher score in the BDI-II compared to the subjects who had continued the happiness diary regularly. The results of this work allow conclusions to be drawn about the importance of relapse prevention in psychotherapy.