The Efficacy of Treatments to Improve Self-esteem

In this study, the investigators will examine the effectivity of self-esteem interventions. To achieve this goal, the primary aim of this study is to examine if there is a difference in effectiveness between two interventions that have shown to be effective in ameliorating levels of low self-esteem in previous studies (ie. COMET (Korrelboom) and CBT (De Neef)). Secondly, the investigators would like to find out if self-esteem interventions have an effect on levels of depression, anxiety and general mental health. This would give us a better understanding of the role of self-esteem as a trans-diagnostic factor. The final aim of this study is to find out if some patients might profit more from one intervention over the other. One of the main differences between both interventions is that COMET heavily relies on imagination techniques and CBT does not. It could be possible that the extend to which patients are able to profit from an intervention which relies on imagination, depends on the ability or vividness in which they are able to use imagery. In this study the investigators will investigate if the ability to use mental imagery has an effect on treatment effects. Design - In this study, research questions will be answered using a randomized clinical trial. After inclusion, patients are randomly assigned to one of the two conditions: 9 weeks of COMET + (ongoing) TAU versus 9 weeks of CBT + (ongoing) TAU. After baseline assessment participants will be randomized. Population - All participants are adult (aged 18-65) outpatients of the regional community mental health teams of GGZ Noord-Holland Noord, a large secondary mental health care centre in the Netherlands with several locations. These teams treat patients with serious and complex psychiatric problems with any DSM-5 diagnosis (except those with a primary diagnosis of drug or alcohol related disorders and those with severe learning disabilities). Including criterium is a self-perceived low self-esteem established by both patient and caregiver by means of (consent to) referral for self-esteem treatment.