PsicAP transdiagnostic protocol of group cognitive-behavioral training for emotional disorders in Dominican Republic: a randomized controlled trial protocol

Abstract

Emotional disorders (ED) such as anxiety, depression and somatization are extremely prevalent disorders that can affect an individual’s quality of life and functionality. Primary Health Care (PHC) is the first place to identify most patients with these conditions. Mental health services in the Dominican Republic, as well as in Latin America and the Caribbean in general, are unable to provide appropriate care for most people with mental disorders. Using evidence-based treatment protocols is also crucial to make progress in helping people with ED. The PsicAP project is a group intervention that uses a transdiagnostic approach and is grounded in cognitive-behavioral techniques. The program is implemented in 7 group sessions, each lasting for one and a half hours. The program has been shown to be effective in reducing clinical symptoms, dysfunction, and in improving quality of life. It is also a non-time-intensive, low-cost treatment that is helpful for addressing EDs in a PHC context. The objective is to bring psychological treatments into PHC facilities of Dominican Republic, making them more accessible for a larger amount of the population.

Abordajes transdiagnósticos en los trastornos emocionales a nivel iberoamericano: una revisión crítica

“…Este manuscrito ha subrayado la alineación de nuestra región con esta tendencia contando con evidencia disponible que respalda la implementación, viabilidad y eficacia de tales tratamientos. Además, se observa una investigación robusta y consolidada en algunos países, así como iniciativas incipientes en otros, como México, Argentina y República Dominicana, donde numerosos ensayos clínicos están en curso (Celleri et al, 2023a;de la Rosa-Gómez et al, 2023;García-Batista et al, 2023). En consecuencia, la región demuestra haber asimilado y contar con la estructura clínica e investigadora necesaria para contribuir y beneficiarse del avance en el ámbito transdiagnóstico.…”