Objective: Anxiety and depression are prevalent among medical students. Brazilian medical students have higher levels of depression and lower quality of life than their U.S. counterparts, and no preventive intervention exists for this risk group in Brazil. The Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP), a cognitive-behavioral treatment protocol for neuroticism, was recently adapted into a single-session, preventive intervention. This study tested the impact of this protocol on psychiatric symptoms and quality of life in Brazilian medical students. Methods: In this open trial, the intervention protocol was translated and adapted to Brazilian Portuguese. Medical students over 18 years of age without psychotic symptoms, severe depressive episodes, or acute psychiatric risk were included, undergoing a psychiatric clinical interview (Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview [MINI]) and evaluation at baseline and at 7 and 30 days after a single-session UP that included experimental avoidance, quality of life, self-esteem, empathy, and anxiety symptom scales. A new evaluation was performed 90 days after the intervention. Results: Sixty-two students participated. Ninety days after the intervention, there were significant reductions in the number of students who met the criteria for social anxiety disorder (p = 0.013) or panic disorder (p = 0.001). There were also significant improvements in depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory, p < 0.001) and quality of life (Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire, p < 0.001). Conclusion: UP improved anxiety and depressive symptoms in medical students. The single-session group format could reduce costs and facilitate application. Future placebo-controlled studies are necessary to confirm these findings.

Resumo O estudo científico das experiências religiosas/espirituais tem sido negligenciado ao longo da história da Psicologia, ocasionando uma indiferenciação destas e dos sintomas psicóticos de conteúdo religioso/espiritual. O objetivo deste artigo foi analisar e comparar duas teorias: a Psicologia Integral, de Wilber, e o Modelo Psicobiológico de Cloninger, a fim de desenvolver critérios para diferenciar saúde e doença mental em experiências religiosas/espirituais. O conceito wilberiano de “Falácia Pré-Trans” aparece enquanto chave de leitura para a diferenciação entre experiência religiosas/espirituais e transtornos mentais, aproximando-se da concepção de maturidade de caráter observada nos conceitos de autodirecionamento e de autotranscendência de Cloninger.

Abstract The scientific study of religious/spiritual experiences has been neglected throughout the history of psychology causing a lack of differentiation between them and psychotic symptoms. The objective of this study was to analyze and compare two theories: Integral Psychology, by Wilber, and the Psychobiological Model, by Cloninger, in order to distinguish health and mental illness in religious/spiritual experiences. The Wilberian concept of “Pre-Trans Fallacy” is a reading key to differ religious/spiritual experiences from mental disorders. It is similar to the conception of Maturity of Character observed in Cloninger’s concepts of Self-directedness and Self-transcendence.

Resumen El estudio científico de las experiencias religiosas/espirituales ha sido descuidado a lo largo de la historia de la Psicología causando una indiferencia de éstas y de los síntomas psicóticos de contenido religioso/espiritual. El objetivo de este artículo fue analizar y comparar dos teorías: la Psicología Integral, de Wilber, y el Modelo Psicobiológico de Cloninger, con el fin de desarrollar criterios para diferenciar salud y enfermedad mental en experiencias religiosas/espirituales. El concepto Wilberiano de “Falacia Pre-Trans” aparece como clave de lectura para la diferenciación entre la experiencia religiosa/espiritual y los trastornos mentales, acercándose a la concepción de madurez de carácter observada en los conceptos de Autodirección y Autotrascendencia de Cloninger.