FC8: Specific protocol for individual Psychotherapy based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Mild Dementia (MDl)

Abstract

Objectives: To discuss a proposal for a cognitive behavioral psychotherapy protocol for people with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Mild Behavioral Impairment framed within psychosocial treatments.

Methods: The lack of a specific psychotherapy protocol in Latin America for the selected population will be presented, as well as the need to complement cognitive stimulation treatment with cognitive behavioral psychotherapy for the corresponding cases. The literature explored in this theoretical framework will be addressed and the steps to follow in the aforementioned project will be proposed.

Results: Currently, there are two main intervention pathways for MCI and DM, known as pharmacological and psychosocial treatments. The latter become indispensable when considering them as multicausal and multidimensional pathologies and psychological treatments are part of them (Berriel and Fernández, 2007). Psychotherapy in particular allows patients to deal with behavioral changes and the experience related to the disease in a more functional way in the long term (Linnemann and Fellgiebel, 2017). However, there are few studies that address evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions. Even in Latin America, there are no reports of protocols that can be generalized for application in clinical practice. Faced with this absence, the project of developing a specific cognitive behavioral psychotherapy protocol for this population isframed.

Conclusions: There are few studies that address evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions, and there are not even reports of generalizable protocols in Latin America. In light of this absence, a project is underway to develop a specific cognitive behavioral psychotherapy protocol for this population based on the limited evidence, extensive clinical experience and adapted to the preferences and needs of the localpopulation.