Depression, Anxiety, Cancer
Conditions
Keywords
Depression, Psychotherapy, Anxiety, Cancer
Brief summary
At present, there are no established treatments for depression or anxiety in adolescents with cancer, creating an important clinical and research gap. Fortunately, there is now substantial evidence documenting the efficacy of psychotherapy in the treatment of depressed and anxious adolescents in the general population.
Detailed description
Despite the high prevalence of depression and anxiety in cancer patients, little is known about the efficacy of psychotherapy in depressed and anxious adolescents with cancer. Behavioral activation therapy (BAT) is a brief, manualized therapy that has shown efficacy in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in several controlled trials patients, including adult cancer patients. The goal of this open label clinical trial is to obtain preliminary evidence of the efficacy of BAT(6 sessions) in a group of adolescent cancer patients with MDD, GAD or adjustment disorder with mood or anxiety features. We will test the efficacy of BAT using the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children at several time points of the treatment.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALBehavioral activation therapy
Behavioral activation therapy (BAT) is a brief, manualized therapy that has shown efficacy in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in several controlled trials patients (see review in Dimidjan et al., Ann Rev Clin Psychol, 2010, and Chu, Brian C., et al. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 2009.), including adult cancer patients (Hopkoet al., 2009; Hopko et al., 2011).
Sponsors
New York State Psychiatric Institute
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
12 Years to 21 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* A primary psychiatric diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder or Adjustment Disorder with Mood or Anxiety features as defined by DSM-IV. * Cancer patients. * Parent consent and child assent to participate for patients younger than 18. Patient consent for subjects 18-21. * Diagnosis of cancer (stage 1-4), but healthy enough to complete study procedures.
Exclusion criteria
* Lifetime history of psychosis or bipolar disorder. * Current suicide risk. * History of substance abuse or dependence in the three months prior to the study. * Patients who have ever failed BAT in the context of cancer. * Receiving other concurrent therapy for same disorder and patients who are receiving effective medication for depression. * Mental retardation. * CNS tumors. * Patients undergoing Stem Cell Transplantation.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC 2) | baseline, and every two weeks till week 10 | 10 to 15 minutes of mood assessment. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed