Extract

Background and study aims Many people with depression would like to receive a 'talking treatment' (counselling or psychotherapy). The form of talking treatment that is supported by the greatest amount of evidence is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT). At the present time, there are too few therapists to treat people with depression. Recently, a form of CBT has been developed that can be delivered by computer. Computerised CBT can be delivered in the patient’s own time (and potentially in their own home) and does not require waiting for a therapist. Several computer packages of CBT have been developed. Some of these are free to use and are available over the internet, whilst some are commercial products and have to be purchased at substantial cost to the NHS. We need more information about the effectiveness of these packages and we need to know whether the additional cost of purchasing commercially available products is a sensible use of limited NHS funds. The aim of this study is to compare two CBT packages to usual GP care. Who can participate? Patients aged 18 and over with depression What does the study involve? Participants are randomly allocated into three groups. The first group receives usual GP care plus "Beating the Blues", a computerised CBT package. The second group receives usual GP care plus "MoodGYM", a free to use web-based CBT programme for depression. The third group receives usual GP care. We examine whether computerised forms of CBT are effective at reducing the symptoms of depression and at improving quality of life and helping people with depression to resume work or caring. We also examine whether expensive commercial products are any better than freely available programmes, and whether the extra cost is justified. Computerised CBT involves interaction with a computer rather than a trained therapist. Although computers have increasingly become part of modern life, it remains unclear how acceptable this form of treatment is for people with depression. We examine whether people with little or no experience of computers find this form of treatment acceptable, and whether the treatment can be realistically offered in the patient’s own home or in a GP surgery. What are the possible benefits and risks of participating? Not provided at time of registration Where is the study run from? University of York (UK) When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for? May 2009 to October 2013 Who is funding the study? NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme - HTA (UK) Who is the main contact? Prof. Simon Gilbody [email protected]

Inclusion criteria

• Depressive Disorder

Links

• isrctn
• ictrp