Disorders - depressive disorders
Perry, Y., Werner-Seidler, A., Calear, A., Mackinnon, A., King, C., Scott, J., Merry, S., Fleming, T., Stasiak, K., Christensen, H., Batterham, P. J.
BACKGROUND: Depression often emerges for the first time during adolescence. There is
accumulating evidence that universal depression prevention programs may have the capacity to reduce the impact of depression when delivered in the
school environment.\rOBJECTIVE: This trial investigated the effectiveness of SPARX-R, a gamified online cognitive behavior therapy intervention for
the prevention of depression relative to an attention-matched control intervention delivered to students prior to facing a significant stressor-final
secondary school exams. It was hypothesized that delivering a prevention intervention in advance of a stressor would reduce depressive symptoms
relative to the control group.\rMETHODS: A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in 10 government schools in Sydney, Australia.
Participants were 540 final year secondary students (mean 16.7 [SD 0.51] years), and clusters at the school level were randomly allocated to SPARX-R
or the control intervention. Interventions were delivered weekly in 7 modules, each taking approximately 20 to 30 minutes to complete. The primary
outcome was symptoms of depression as measured by the Major Depression Inventory. Intention-to-treat analyses were performed.\rRESULTS: Compared to
controls, participants in the SPARX-R condition (n=242) showed significantly reduced depression symptoms relative to the control (n=298) at post-
intervention (Cohen d=0.29) and 6 months post-baseline (d=0.21) but not at 18 months post-baseline (d=0.33).\rCONCLUSIONS: This is the first trial to
demonstrate a preventive effect on depressive symptoms prior to a significant and universal stressor in adolescents. It demonstrates that an online
intervention delivered in advance of a stressful experience can reduce the impact of such an event on the potential development or exacerbation of
depression.\rTRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12614000316606;
https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=365986 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/ 6u7ou1aI9).
Journal of Medical Internet
Research, 19(11) : e369
- Year: 2017
- Problem: Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Service Delivery & Improvement, Psychological Interventions
(any), Cognitive & behavioural therapies (CBT), Technology, interventions delivered using technology (e.g. online, SMS)
Peters, W., Freeman,
M. P., Kim, S., Cohen, L. S., Joffe, H.
PURPOSE/BACKGROUND: Two-thirds of women with depressive disorders report reemergence of depression premenstrually, or
premenstrual exacerbation (PME), despite effective treatment of the underlying mood disorder during the remainder of the cycle. There is a paucity of
studies that rigorously assess treatments targeting PME. Open-label data suggest that augmentation of antidepressants with the oral contraceptive
pill (OCP) drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol (DRSP/EE) improves depressive symptoms that break through treatment premenstrually. We now report
results of a randomized placebo-controlled OCP augmentation trial.\rMETHODS: Women with unipolar depressive disorders in remission on stable
antidepressant doses with a 30% increase in Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) scores from the follicular to luteal phase were
randomized to double-blind augmentation of antidepressant with either DRSP/EE or placebo for 2 months. The MADRS and Daily Record of Severity of
Problems (DRSP) measures were anchored to the menstrual cycle phase.\rFINDINGS/RESULTS: Of 32 women randomized, 25 (n = 12 DRSP/EE, n = 13 placebo)
completed the trial. Premenstrual MADRS scores declined by a median of 43.6% and 38.9% (P = 0.59), and premenstrual DRSP scores declined by a median
of 23.5% and 20.9% (P = 0.62) in the DRSP/EE and placebo groups, respectively. There was a trend toward greater improvement in premenstrual DRSP
scores for women with fewer lifetime depressive episodes (r = -0.40, P = 0.06).\rIMPLICATIONS/CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this small randomized trial
suggest that OCP augmentation of antidepressants may not be effective for treating premenstrual breakthrough of depression. Future studies should
target women established to have hormonal sensitivity prior to antidepressant therapy and those with fewer lifetime depressive episodes.
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 37(5) : 609-614
- Year: 2017
- Problem: Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Disorder established (diagnosed disorder)
-
Treatment and intervention: Biological Interventions
(any), Other biological interventions
Nam, B., Bae, S., Kim, S. M., Hong, J. S., Han, D. H.
Objective: Several studies have suggested the efficacy of bupropion and escitalopram on reducing the excessive internet game play. We
hypothesized that both bupropion and escitalopram would be effective on reducing the severity of depressive symptoms and internet gaming disorder
(IGD) symptoms in patients with both major depressive disorder and IGD. However, the changes in brain connectivity between the default mode network
(DMN) and the salience network were different between bupropion and escitalopram due to their different pharmacodynamics. Methods: This study was
designed as a 12-week double blind prospective trial. Thirty patients were recruited for this research (15 bupropion group+15 escitalopram group). To
assess the differential functional connectivity (FC) between the hubs of the DMN and the salience network, we selected 12 regions from the automated
anatomical labeling in PickAtals software. Results: After drug treatment, the depressive symptoms and IGD symptoms in both groups were improved.
Impulsivity and attentional symptoms in the bupropion group were significantly decreased, compared to the escitalopram group. After treatment, FC
within only the DMN in escitalopram decreased while FC between DMN and salience network in bupropion group decreased. Bupropion was associated with
significantly decreased FC within the salience network and between the salience network and the DMN, compared to escitalopram. Conclusion: Bupropion
showed greater effects than escitalopram on reducing impulsivity and attentional symptoms. Decreased brain connectivity between the salience network
and the DMN appears to be associated with improved excessive IGD symptoms and impulsivity in MDD patients with IGD. Copyright © 2017, Korean College
of Neuropsychopharmacology.
Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience, 15(4) : 361-
368
- Year: 2017
- Problem: Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Disorder established (diagnosed disorder)
-
Treatment and intervention: Biological Interventions
(any), Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), Antidepressants
(any), Other antidepressants
Mennella, R., Patron, E., Palomba, D.
Frontal alpha asymmetry has been proposed to underlie the balance between approach and
withdrawal motivation associated to each individual's affective style. Neurofeedback of EEG frontal alpha asymmetry represents a promising tool to
reduce negative affect, although its specific effects on left/right frontal activity and approach/withdrawal motivation are still unclear. The
present study employed a neurofeedback training to increase frontal alpha asymmetry (right - left), in order to evaluate discrete changes in alpha
power at left and right sites, as well as in positive and negative affect, anxiety and depression. Thirty-two right-handed females were randomly
assigned to receive either the neurofeedback on frontal alpha asymmetry, or an active control training (N = 16 in each group). The asymmetry group
showed an increase in alpha asymmetry driven by higher alpha at the right site (p < 0.001), as well as a coherent reduction in both negative affect
and anxiety symptoms (ps < 0.05), from pre-to post-training. No training-specific modulation emerged for positive affect and depressive symptoms.
These findings provide a strong rationale for the use of frontal alpha asymmetry neurofeedback for the reduction of negative affect and anxiety in
clinical settings.
Behaviour Research & Therapy, 92 : 32-40
- Year: 2017
- Problem: Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions
(any), Biofeedback, neurofeedback, audio/video feedback
Miranda, R., Weierich, M., Khait, V., Jurska, J., Andersen, S. M.
The present study examined whether practice in making optimistic future-event predictions would result in change in the
hopelessness-related cognitions that characterize depression. Individuals (N = 170) with low, mild, and moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms were
randomly assigned to a condition in which they practiced making optimistic future-event predictions or to a control condition in which they viewed
the same stimuli but practiced determining whether a given phrase contained an adjective. Overall, individuals in the induced optimism condition
showed increases in optimistic predictions, relative to the control condition, as a result of practice, but only individuals with moderate-to-severe
symptoms of depression who practiced making optimistic future-event predictions showed decreases in depressive predictive certainty, relative to the
control condition. In addition, they showed gains in efficiency in making optimistic predictions over the practice blocks, as assessed by response
time. There was no difference in depressed mood by practice condition. Mental rehearsal might be one way of changing the hopelessness-related
cognitions that characterize depression.
Behaviour Research & Therapy, 90 : 1-8
- Year: 2017
- Problem: Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention), Disorder established (diagnosed disorder)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions
(any), Attention/cognitive bias
modification
Mishra,
S., Sailesh, K. S., Bashetti, S., Ashok, S., Archana, R., Mukkadan, J. K., Reddy, U. K.
Meditation is known to be a conscious mental process tends
to induce certain integrated physiological changes further leading to the relaxation of mind and body. Mental stress, anxiety, depression are the
common silent sufferings in the instrumental world faced today not only in adults but also in school going children. In the present scenario
meditation is used as a clinical tool in various areas of mental and physical health improvisations and also as a curator for the emotional and
disease sufferings. In this study we made an attempt to know the effects of meditation on depression, anxiety and stress levels before and after
meditation and to also study the cognitive functions before and after meditation. The study was conducted on 160 apparently healthy participants,
male (n=80) and female (n=80) studying class 6th to class 10th who were not undergoing any medical treatment. The students were
randomly distributed into four groups, control male (n=40), control female (n=40) group, meditation male (n=40), meditation female (n=40) groups. The
students were allowed to practice meditation in sitting posture, under the supervision of the expert at 6:30 am in the morning for 35 minutes for a
period of 90 days. Subjects were analyzed based on the data before and after therapy. Depression, anxiety, and stress levels were assessed by DASS 42
and perceived stress scale. Spatial and verbal memory test was used to assess cognition. We found a profound decrease in the levels of depression,
anxiety and stress in all the subjects' pre-meditation and post-meditation with and significant improvement in spatial and verbal memory. Further
studies based on biochemical parameters may show more accurate and explorative results. Further one can also study the effect of meditation on other
various parameters of the body and further experimenting with the variations noted with different types of meditation correlating its effects on
health could be promising.
Journal of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 10(1) : 189-
191
- Year: 2017
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Complementary & Alternative
Interventions (CAM), Meditation
Mastikhina, L., Dobson, K.
The present study replicated Wells and Beevers [(2010). Biased attention and dysphoria: Manipulating selective
attention reduces subsequent depressive symptoms. Cognition & Emotion, 24, 719-728] and examined the longitudinal effects of attentional retraining
on symptoms of depression. Dysphoric undergraduate psychology students were randomly assigned into either a neutral or control training condition.
Training was administered using a dot-probe task that presented participants with pairs of pictures (of sad and neutral content) that were followed
by a probe that participants had to respond to. Training took place over four sessions during a two-week period, followed by a final follow-up
session two weeks later. Mood was measured at baseline, post-training, and at follow-up. All participants showed a significant reduction in
depressive symptoms throughout the study, F(1.7, 73.55)=21.19, p<.001; but the attentional retraining did not demonstrate any advantage over the
control condition. Results were inconsistent with those of Wells and Beevers [(2010). Biased attention and dysphoria: Manipulating selective
attention reduces subsequent depressive symptoms. Cognition & Emotion, 24, 719-728]. Implications of the findings on research on attentional
retraining in the context of depression are discussed.
Cognition & Emotion, 31(3) : 625-
631
- Year: 2017
- Problem: Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions
(any), Attention/cognitive bias
modification
Matsugaki,
R., Kuhara, S., Saeki, S., Jiang, Y., Michishita, R., Ohta, M., Yamato, H.
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of supervised
exercise among nurses conducting shift work for health promotion. METHODS: A total of 30 healthy female nurses conducting shift work participated in
this study and they were randomly assigned to one of the following 2 groups: The supervised exercise group (SG; participants exercised under the
supervision of a physical therapist (PT)) and the voluntary exercise group (VG; participants exercised without supervision). The study participants
were asked to exercise twice/week for 12 weeks for 24 sessions. The primary outcome was aerobic fitness, and the secondary outcomes were muscle
strength, anthropometric data, biochemical parameters, and mental health. We compared all the outcomes before and after the intervention within each
group and between both groups at follow-up. RESULTS: Aerobic fitness increased in the SG whereas it decreased in the VG, but these changes were not
statistically significant (p=0.053 and 0.073, respectively). However, the between-group difference was significant in the intervention effect
(p=0.010). Muscle strength, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and metabolic profile (high-molecular weight adiponectin), and depressive symptom
significantly improved in the SG over time, even though the SG exercised less as compared with the VG. Moreover, significant differences in muscle
strength, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and reactive oxygen metabolite levels were observed between both groups, and these parameters were
better in the SG than in the VG. CONCLUSIONS: Our data-suggest the effectiveness of exercise supervised by a PT at the workplace of nurses conducting
shift work for health promotion.
Journal of occupational health, 59(4) : 327-
335
- Year: 2017
- Problem: Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention, At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Complementary & Alternative
Interventions (CAM), Physical activity, exercise
Martin, T. J., Mist, S., Lektsok, T., Trent, N. L.
Introduction Herbal medicine and other forms of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) are used to treat symptoms of psychiatric
disorders in the United States, including anxiety and mood problems. In Traditional Tibetan Medicine anxiety and depression are commonly treated with
an herbal compound known as Agar-35. Objective The objective of this pilot study was to explore whether Agar-35 tea would improve anxiety, affect,
stress, and rumination. Methods Undergraduate psychology students (N=14) were randomized to drink either Agar-35 tea (n=6) or placebo tea (n=8) for 7
nights. Results The results indicated that Agar-35 significantly reduced participants' negative affect compared to placebo, U = 6.0, p =.019, effect
size, r =.63. Further, Agar-35 also reduced anxiety (trending toward significance), U = 10.0, p =.071, effect size, r =.48. Conclusion In accordance
with its use in Tibetan Medicine, these preliminary findings suggest that Agar-35 may benefit aspects of psychological health. Copyright © 2017
Elsevier Inc.
Explore, 13(6) : 367-370
- Year: 2017
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Complementary & Alternative
Interventions (CAM), Homeopathic, plant-based medicines
Houston, J. B., First,
J., Spialek, M. L., Sorenson, M. E., Mills-Sandoval, T., Lockett, M., First, N. L., Nitiema, P., Allen, S. F., Pfefferbaum,
B.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this
pilot study was to evaluate the Resilience and Coping Intervention (RCI) with college students.\rPARTICIPANTS: College students (aged 18-23) from a
large Midwest US university who volunteered for a randomized controlled trial during the 2015 spring semester.\rMETHODS: College students were
randomly assigned to an intervention (n = 64) or a control (n = 65) group. Intervention participants received three 45-minute RCI sessions over
subsequent weeks. All participants completed pre- and post-intervention assessments at the beginning of Week 1 and end of Week 3. Student resilience,
coping, hope, stress, depression, and anxiety were assessed.\rRESULTS: RCI participants reported significantly more hope and less stress and
depression from Week 1 to Week 3 compared with control participants. Results for resilience also approached statistical significance. Effect sizes
were small to moderate.\rCONCLUSIONS: This study found preliminary evidence that RCI is an effective resilience intervention for use with college
students.
Journal of American College Health, 65(1) : 1-
9
- Year: 2017
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: Universal prevention
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions
(any), Other Psychological Interventions
Irarrazaval, M., Prieto, F., Arriagada, L., Gladstone, T., Beardslee, W. R.
Objectives: Family Talk is a preventive intervention for families with parental depression that has shown sustained
benefits in parents' behaviors and attitudes about the illness and a greater understanding of parental depression among children. The objective of
this study is to evaluate the maintenance of the effect of the Family Talk intervention in Chilean families between initial time and follow-up.
Methods: A sample group of 17 families, in which at least one parent suffered from a mood disorder and at least one nondepressed child was within the
age range of 6-15 years, was recruited. Families were randomized to treatment groups. Parents and children were assessed at baseline and every three
to eight months thereafter on behavioral functioning, psychopathology, and in response to intervention. Results: At baseline, the sample group
consisted of 17 families. Of these, 13 (76.4%) completed the intervention, with gradual sample loss over the follow-up assessments. Of the
participants at follow-up, 100 percent were mothers and 53.9 percent were parents. The average ages of mothers and fathers were 43.3 and 47.7 years,
respectively. The average age of the children was 9.5 years. A significant decrease in maternal depressive symptoms was found after the intervention
and in the follow up assessments P < 0.01). Likewise, a significant increase in maternal parenting skills (P < 0.01), particularly in maternal
reflexive skills (P < 0.05), as well as in family adaptability, was observed after the intervention, which remained significant in the follow-up
assessments (P < 0.05). The children did not report depressive symptoms after the intervention or in the follow-up assessments. In addition, there
was a significant decrease in the behavioral problems of the children reported by the mothers in the follow-up, compared with those presented before
the intervention (P < 0.05). Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that Famila Activa, a brief familycentered preventive intervention for parental
depression, may contribute to long-term, sustained improvements in family functioning.
Journal of the American
Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 56 (10) : S178-S179
- Year: 2017
- Problem: Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Psychological Interventions
(any)
Kuosmanen, T., Fleming, T. M., Newell, J., Barry, M. M.
Aim The
use of computerized mental health programs with vulnerable youth, such as early school leavers, remains relatively unstudied. This pilot study
examined the feasibility of delivering a computerized cognitive behavioral therapy (cCBT) gaming intervention (SPARX-R) for young people (age 15-20
years) who have left school early and are attending Youthreach, an alternative education (AE) program in Ireland. Method Students (n = 146) from
twenty-one Youthreach Centers were randomized to SPARX-R and no-intervention control. All students within the group were included in the study
whether or not they were exhibiting heightened levels of depression. Program impact was examined on both negative and positive indicators of mental
health, including depression (primary outcome), generalized anxiety, general mental wellbeing, coping and emotion regulation. Assessments were
conducted at baseline and post-intervention (7 weeks). Participants that provided data at post-assessment (n = 66) were included in the analysis.
Results The participants completed on average 5.3 modules of SPARX-R with 30% (n = 9) completing the entire program. A significant improvement in
emotion regulation strategies was detected, with expressive suppression decreasing significantly in the SPARX-R group in comparison to the control (-
2.97, 95% CI - 5.48 to - 0.46, p = 0.03). Conclusions Findings suggest that SPARX-R has a positive impact on emotion regulation. The lack of
significant findings on other outcome measures may be attributed to inadequate sample size, and therefore, further research with larger samples are
required to establish the effectiveness of the program in reducing depression and anxiety and improving psychological wellbeing among young people
attending AE. Copyright © 2017 The Authors
Internet Interventions, 8 : 40-47
- Year: 2017
- Problem: Anxiety Disorders (any), Depressive Disorders
- Type: Randomised controlled trials
-
Stage: At risk (indicated or selected prevention)
-
Treatment and intervention: Service Delivery & Improvement, Psychological Interventions
(any), Cognitive & behavioural therapies (CBT), Technology, interventions delivered using technology (e.g. online, SMS)