Dialysis patients that participated in technology-based positive psychology exercises reported “significantly” lower symptoms of depression and saw improvements in “quality of life, emotional well-being, physical vigor and social interactions,” as published by one study.
The exercises focused on building on the patient’s “personal strengths, cultivating gratitude and using positive reappraisal to reinterpret events.”
The findings may provide alternatives for dialysis patients who are looking for ways to manage their depression.
Depression is the most common psychiatric illness among individuals with kidney failure, with occurrence ranging from 22.8 to 39.3 percent as reported by a group of researchers.
Patients in the study spent 20-30 minutes more than three times a week doing positive psychology exercises on a tablet computer over a five-week period.
