Behavioural Activation Therapy for Bipolar Disorder

Status: Recruiting
Location: See location...
Intervention Type: Behavioral
Study Type: Interventional
Study Phase: Not Applicable
SUMMARY

Mood disorders including bipolar disorder and depression are common disabling disorders with depression affecting 11.2 to 16.0% of the general population and the lifetime prevalence of bipolar disorders at an estimated 4.4%. Although treatment with antidepressants medications is common and effective in some patients, 42.7% of patients show inadequate response to treatment with antidepressants and a large proportion (55.3%) continue to have ongoing depressive symptoms. Psychological and behavioural interventions such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and behavioural activation (BA) are effective treatment for depression alone or in combination with antidepressants. Depression can also occur in the context of bipolar disorder which is characterized by recurrent episodes of depression and mania (DSM-5). The depressive episodes within bipolar disorder may be similar to depressive disorder, however the management of these episodes is fraught with the challenge that antidepressant pharmacotherapy may precipitate manic episodes and lead to further destabilization of bipolar disorder. Therefore, an alternative to antidepressants and additional therapies are needed to support patients' recovery and mood stability, as well as to achieve better treatment response and remission. BA is not currently available in a structured format and has not been tested for its effectiveness in bipolar disorders in a specialized hospital-based program. The evidence for BA has been investigated in depression however the evidence for bipolar disorder is lacking, therefore this study aims to assess the effectiveness of BA as treatment for bipolar disorder.

Eligibility
Participation Requirements
Sex: All
Minimum Age: 18
Maximum Age: 65
Healthy Volunteers: f
View:

• Clinical diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder

• Must be able to provide written informed consent

• Must be able to attend program sessions

Locations
Other Locations
Canada
St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton
RECRUITING
Hamilton
Contact Information
Primary
Jacqueline Hudson
jhudson@mcmaster.ca
905.522.1155
Time Frame
Start Date: 2019-05-07
Estimated Completion Date: 2025-06-01
Participants
Target number of participants: 120
Treatments
Experimental: Behavioural Activation (Intervention)
Originally a component of Cognitive Therapy, Behavioural Activation is the use of strategies such as activity scheduling, master/pleasure ratings, and graded task assignments to modify one's perception of specific situations. Behavioural Activation involves the use of activities to improve life situations and mood symptoms.
No_intervention: Waitlist (Control)
The Control group (waitlist) will receive treatment as usual while waiting to receive BA intervention (at the end of intervention group therapy time, which will consist of 18 sessions over an 14 week period). This group will be assessed by clinical staff that offer treatment as usual for mood symptoms and quality of life measures during the waiting time.
Related Therapeutic Areas
Sponsors
Leads: St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton

This content was sourced from clinicaltrials.gov