Hope, and How To Get It

One of the most powerful predictors of suicidal behavior is hopelessness. People who are depressed very often believe that their lives will not or cannot improve; they have nothing that they feel they can look forward to. When this continues, they may become suicidal. Recently some researchers focused on this aspect of depression and found a way to boost "hopefulness" in depressed patients. This type of intervention could very well be a life-saver for significant numbers of people. Here are excerpts from the study, as described in Science Daily:

"Hope is consistently associated with fewer symptoms of depression.  And the good news is that hope is something that can be taught, and can be developed in many of the people who need it,” said Jennifer Cheavens, assistant professor of psychology at Ohio State University...

Cheavens measures hope in people using a 12-item questionnaire developed by her mentor, the late C.R. Snyder of the University of Kansas.  In this measure, hope has two components: a map or pathway to get what you want, and the motivation and strength to follow that path.

“If you feel you know how to get what you want out of life, and you have that desire to make that happen, then you have hope,” Cheavens said.

Hope is different from optimism, which is a generalized expectancy that good things will happen, she said.  Hope involves having goals, along with the desire and plan to achieve them...

The good news is that hope is something that can be developed in people, she said.

In a study published in the journal Social Indicators Research, Cheavens and her colleagues tested a hope therapy treatment with a sample of 32 people recruited through newspaper ads and flyers...

In this study, about half the participants took part in eight, two-hour group sessions led by trained leaders.  As part of these sessions, they were taught new hope-related skills, including identifying goals, ways to achieve them, and how to motivate themselves.

Results showed that those who participated in the hope therapy had reduced depressive symptoms compared to the control group that did not participate.

SO, it appears that the key elements are: 

• Having Goals
• Having a Plan to Achieve Them
• Having the Desire to Achieve Them

In the Mindfulness-Based Wellness (MBW) Program that I developed and taught at a small university last year (click here  for more information), we worked within a similar model, designed for individuals who were NOT depressed, but who wanted to change some aspects of their lives, and who had found it difficult to achieve their wellness and healthy living goals. 

We believed that the most challenging aspects of the three key elements are "having a (realistic) plan to achieve the goals," and "having (maintaining) the desire to achieve the goals." We worked to support these two elements by teaching effective planning (breaking down the task into small, readily achievable steps consistent with reaching the goal over the long haul; keeping records and checklists of steps achieved), and also by enhancing motivation with mindfulness training, and encouraging participants to consistently bring their attention to the personal values that influenced their choice of a particular goal. In other words, if I want to pursue a goal of establishing a daily meditation practice, it helps if I choose not to focus so much attention on the task itself, or how I would prefer to (or "need" to) be doing other things, but on my own deeply held values (in this case it would be the importance I personally place on my own spirituality).

The measured outcomes of the MBW program were very encouraging. Among other positive changes, participants showed significant improvements in mood, attentional capacities, and overall quality of life.