Technology Enhanced Family Treatment
Mood Disorders, Bipolar Disorder, Major Depression
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Mood Disorders focused on measuring Family Therapy
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- English speaking and has access to smart-phones, a tablet, or computer
- Age 13-19 years old
- One parent with diagnosis of bipolar disorder type I, bipolar disorder type II, or
- major depressive disorder.
- At least one parent is rated high in perceived criticism of the child.
- Child shows evidence of mood instability
- Child is not currently in individual therapy.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Over 6 on the Autism Spectrum Disorder screener
- a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition manic episode of bipolar I disorder has occurred in the past 2 weeks
- history of persistent psychotic symptoms that have not remitted when mood states remit.
- intelligence quotient below 70 from school records
- Any significant and persistent substance or alcohol abuse in the prior 3 months
- Previously received a full course (i.e., 10-12 sessions) of FFT
- Current, active sexual abuse, physical abuse, or domestic violence.
Sites / Locations
- UCLA Child and Adolescent Mood Disorders Program, UCLA School of Medicine
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Experimental
Active Comparator
FFT with MCC App (FFT-MCC)
FFT with App Assessments only (FFT-Assess)
Youth in this study arm will receive 12 sessions of FFT (psychoeducation, communication skills training, and problem-solving skills training) with their parents and siblings. They and their parents will make regular mobile app ratings of mood, sleep, family functioning, stress, and perceived criticism. Children and parents will call into a voice-activated phone system and be asked to speak freely for 3-5 minutes about their health and family functioning. They will be guided through 12 lesson plans in which they practice skills such as active listening or identifying prodromal signs of episodes, paralleling what they are learning in sessions. The clinician will be able to set a weekly skill training assignment and observe the family's practice of the skill between sessions. They will adapt session content accordingly.
Youth in this condition will receive the same 12 sessions of FFT, but the app will be limited to daily and weekly assessments of their mood, sleep, stress, and family functioning. The app will not provide the skill training offered in the FFT-MCC condition.