Priest Father John's novel method to treat depression

KOTTAYAM: A new therapy to cure adolescent girls of their mental ailments, including depression, has been developed by a  Catholic priest, who has secured a doctorate from the University of Santo Thomas, Manila. The findings  of the study,  conducted by Father John Jacob,  CMI rector,  Mary Immaculate Minor seminary, Mannanam,  appeared in the July issue of the prestigious ‘Asian journal of psychiatry.’

His method called ‘Taking in the good-based bibliotherapy programme’   (the use of books as therapy in the treatment of mental or psychological disorders) had good impact on the selected female Filipino adolescents who suffered from depression, says the journal. The programme  aims at building up the patients’ inner strengths by experiencing, enriching  and absorbing daily events with a positive attitude and instilling them in the brain.

“Bibliotherapy is the use of the written materials, including texts belonging to any genre, for healing and development. In a therapeutic atmosphere, the clients are asked to read a specific section of a book which would help  relieve their mental burdens. Reading a specific text enhances a client’s knowledge of the self which will be used by the client to rise above his or her problems by looking at life and its challenges with fresh insight and positive attitude,” he told Deccan Chronicle.

Father John, hailing from  Pandankary in Alappuzha district, said the study will be effective in the Indian contest.  The programme has four steps-- having a positive experience, enriching it,  absorbing it and linking the positive and negative materials. As a preliminary step, a positive mental state should be activated. The second, third and fourth steps are  to instil  the positive mental state in one’s own brain.  This means converting every day experiences into good neural structure. The intervention enables female adolescents, who were suffering from depression and  feelings of  worthlessness and hopelessness, to find a positive meaning amidst the stressful life, according to the study.