Life review therapy based on retrieval of specific autobiographical memories in elderly individuals with depression

Introduction: the aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of a new model of life review based on retrieval of specific positive autobiographical memories to treat depressed older adults. Material and method: forty-three adults aged 65-93 years with clinically significant depressive symptomatology and no dementia were randomly assigned to the treatment or control groups. The results indicated significant differences between the experimental and control groups after 4 weeks of practising autobiographical retrieval. Results: in the post-test, individuals in the treatment group showed fewer depressive symptoms and retrieval of a greater number of specific events. The findings suggest that practice in autobiographical memory, based on retrieval of specific events, may be among the components of life review that account for its effectiveness and could be a useful tool in psychotherapy in older adults with depression