A Case Series of Individual Six-Week Cognitive Behavioral Therapy With Individually Tailored Manual-Based Treatment Delivery for Depressed College Students With or Without Suicidal Ideation

Despite their prevalence, depression and suicidal ideation (SI) are relatively unaddressed problems in the college student population. There are limited individual treatment studies targeting this population. Nine students ( M = 19.33 years of age; SD ± .87) with depressive symptoms and/or SI were enrolled in 6-weeks of individual cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with a individually tailored manual-based treatment delivery. Measures were given before and after treatment. Primary results, presented as a case series, suggested decreases in depression across students and an overall downward trend in SI. As a secondary analysis, paired samples t tests showed significant decreases in both depression and SI. In summary, short-term, individually tailored manual-based CBT may be beneficial for reducing depressive symptoms and SI among college students. More research is needed to determine the best clinical interventions and targeted treatments for this vulnerable population.