Behavioral Activation and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: a theoretical analysis of clinical manuals

Abstract

Behavioral Activation (BA) was developed for the treatment of depression and has been recognized for its effectiveness compared to other therapies. Current Behavioral Activation manuals have included therapeutic components of Acceptance and Commitment T herapy (ACT) in their technical guidelines. This theoretical study aimed to describe how the integration of these two therapy models is approached in three clinical manuals and to describe how the scientific literature in the area has addressed the gaps identified in these manuals. To identify mentions of the interventions in each manual, a search was made using terms specific to Activation in an ACT manual, and terms specific to ACT in two Behavioral Activation manuals. This study presents the approaches of the theoretical aspects of these interventions and the divergences resulting from various analytical approaches, from which they start to intervene on distinct behavioral processes in depression. It is also noteworthy that although the manuals suggest the integration of techniques from these models, the scientific literature is still scarce in relation to descriptions of the effectiveness of combined interventions. It is concluded that by highlighting the gaps that still exist, the theoretical study in question allows us to appreciate aspects to be developed in future research to improve the treatment of depression.