LIBRI DI GIOVANNI A. FAVA

Giovanni Fava affronta quello che altri ricercatori hanno finora preferito evitare. Il libro descrive le strategie di valutazione e gestione personalizzata delle problematiche legate ai farmaci antidepressivi, attingendo dalla letteratura disponibile e dalla vasta esperienza personale dell’autore. Il testo propone molti casi clinici ed esemplificazioni che aiutano a capire i complessi meccanismi legati alle sindromi da astinenza. Questo approccio altamente specialistico aiuta la persona a superare il periodo critico con uso limitato dei farmaci e a crescere in autonomia e benessere psicologico.

Well-Being Therapy (WBT) is a short-term psychotherapeutic strategy that emphasizes self-observation of psychological well-being, with the use of a structured diary, cognitive restructuring of interfering thoughts and/or behaviors through cognitive behavioral techniques, and homework assignments (i.e., pursuing optimal experiences). It is based on a multidimensional model of psychological wellbeing that was originally developed by Marie Jahoda and it is aimed at achieving a state of euthymia. An important characteristic is self-observation of psychological well-being associated with specific homework. Such perspective is different from interventions that are labelled as positive but are actually distress oriented. WBT has been validated in a number of randomized controlled trials concerned with relapse prevention in depression and with increasing the level of recovery in affective disorders. An important feature of WBT is the assumption that imbalances in well-being and distress may vary from patient to patient and need specific assessment strategies. The aim of this paper was to provide an updated review of WBT and to illustrate how the clinical insights gained by the use of WBT may unravel innovative approaches in the setting of medical disease. A clinical case that exemplifies its application and potential role in producing lifestyle changes in metabolic syndrome is illustrated. It is argued that lifestyle changes can only be achieved with a personalized approach that targets psychological well-being.