Depression Intervention

PEARLS is an evidence-based program designed to reduce depression in adults (18 +). A PEARLS certified counselor leads the one-on-one sessions over a 19-week period. Sessions can be done in the home, or at a community location.

The sessions focus on three fundamental principles:

• What a participant is experiencing are symptoms, and the symptoms are due to depression.
• There is a close link between depression and unsolved problems. Problem Solving Treatment (PST) assists clients with skills to begin to address problems.
• Increasing participation in social, physical, and other pleasant activities leads to a decrease in depressive symptoms.

Eligibility:

• Minor Depression:  Individuals have some of the symptoms of depression, but do not meet the *DSM criteria for major depression or dysthymia.
• Persistent Depressive Disorder: Individuals have an ongoing, low-grade depression of 2 or more years in which depressive symptoms are present more days than not.
• Major Depression: Individuals have enough symptoms over the past 2 weeks to meet the criteria for a major depressive episode.  PEARLS is also effective in treating major depression in all age adults with epilepsy.

*The nationally utilized and validated tool to identify depressive risk-PHQ-9 is used to assess depressive symptoms.