Cognitive Therapy Versus Medication Treatment for Preventing Depression Relapse

Depression Clinical Trial

Official title: Are CT's Effects Durable?

Status Active, not recruiting

Clinical Trial Summary

This study will evaluate the longer term effectiveness of cognitive therapy (CT) versus medication treatment or placebo for prevention of recurrence of depression for 24 months after termination of continuation phase therapy.

Clinical Trial Description

Depression is a serious medical illness that is often difficult to diagnose and treat. It often recurs more than once in a person's lifetime. Effective treatment methods are needed to prevent the relapse in people who have had prior episodes of depression. CT is a short-term talking therapy that focuses on changing negative thinking patterns and helping patients develop coping skills to deal with their experiences. Evidence suggests that CT is effective in treating a number of psychiatric conditions, including anxiety and anger. This study will determine the effectiveness of booster sessions of CT versus antidepressant medication in preventing relapse of depression in people at risk for recurrent depression.

All participants in this double blind study will first receive 16 to 20 sessions of cognitive-behavioral therapy over 12 weeks. Participants who respond to the treatment, but do not achieve full remission of depressive symptoms, will be considered to be at risk for relapse. They will be randomly assigned to receive 10 booster sessions of one of three treatments over 8 months: cognitive-behavioral therapy, fluoxetine, or placebo. The booster sessions will take place twice monthly for the first 2 months and once monthly for the next 6 months. All participants who complete the entire 8 months of the study will be followed-up for an additional 2 years to monitor depressive relapse and psychosocial functioning. ;

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Double Blind (Subject, Outcomes Assessor), Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Depression

• NCT number: NCT00218764
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: December 2003
• Completion date: December 2010