Effects and Cost-effectiveness of e-Meistring - a Guided Internet-delivered Psychological Treatment...
Depression ModerateAnxiety2 moreThe goal of this observational multicentre study is to address the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of providing a therapist guided internet based cognitive behavioural therapy (ICBT) for common mental disorders in a routine healthcare setting. Main research questions is 1) What is the effectiveness of guided internet based treatment for moderate depression, panic disorder and social anxiety disorder across clinics in routine care? 2) What is the cost-effectiveness of guided internet based treatment for moderate depression, panic disorder and social anxiety disorder across clinics? 3) Who benefits from guided internet-delivered treatment? 4) What are the predictors of drop-out from guided internet based treatment? 5) To what extent does user experiences of guided internet based treatment influence adherence and effectiveness? Participants will receive up to nine guided ICBT sessions (modules) and answer questionnaires covering symptoms severity, health related quality of life, work and social ability, user satisfaction and medication. All questionnaires are part of the standard patient follow up routines in the four treatment locations participating in the study. Analytical approach is to compare locations/clinics and subgroups of patients.
Clinical Trial of a Group Self-management Support Program for Anxiety Disorders
Panic DisorderAgoraphobia2 moreBackground. Self-management support is a complementary approach to treatment that aims to educate participants on the nature of anxiety and to improve their strategies to manage symptoms and well-being, thus presenting the potential to enhance recovery, improve outcomes, reduce recurrence rates and lower health care costs. There is limited evidence to support the effectiveness of group self-management support for anxiety disorders in community-based care. Objectives. This study aims at examining the effectiveness of a virtual group self-management support program (SMS) for anxiety disorders as an add-on to treatment-as-usual (TAU) in community-based care settings. We will also assess the incremental cost/effectiveness ratio and the implementability of the intervention. Methods. The trial is a multicentre pragmatic randomized controlled trial with a pre-treatment, post-treatment (4-month post-randomization), and follow-ups at 8, 12 and 24-months. Intervention. The experimental condition will consist of a 10-week SMS program for anxiety disorders in addition to TAU. The control condition will receive TAU without restrictions for anxiety disorders. Inclusion criteria will comprise being 18 years old or older, French-speaking, and meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria for anxiety disorders: Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Social Anxiety Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Patients will be recruited within four regions in Quebec (Canada). Outcome measures: The primary outcome measure is the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). The secondary outcome measures include self-reported instruments for anxiety and depressive symptoms, recovery, self-management, quality of life, and service utilisation. Statistical analysis: Intention-to-treat analysis. A mixed effects regression model will be used to account for between and within-subject variations in the analysis of the longitudinal effects of the intervention. Expected outcomes. The rigorous evaluation of the SMS intervention in the real world will provide information to decision makers, health care managers, clinicians and patients regarding the added value of group SMS for patients with anxiety disorders. Widespread implementation of this intervention could lead to more efficient mental health care services, to better long-term outcomes and to a significant reduction in the extensive social and economic burden of anxiety disorders.
Efficacy of Hydroxyzine for Patients With Panic Disorder
Panic DisorderThe aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of hydroxyzine compared to treatment as usual (TAU) for patients with panic disorder. By conducting a pilot study, we hope to provide initial data on the feasibility and potential impact of hydroxyzine for this population. This will inform the design and power calculations of a larger, more comprehensive study in the future. Objectives: To assess the feasibility of conducting a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of hydroxyzine for panic disorder. To evaluate the effectiveness of hydroxyzine compared to TAU in reducing panic symptoms in patients with panic disorder. To explore the potential side effects and tolerability of hydroxyzine in this population. Methods: This will be a single-center, open-label, randomized pilot study. A total of 30 patients with a primary diagnosis of panic disorder will be recruited from a psychiatric outpatient clinic. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either hydroxyzine or TAU for 8 weeks. The primary outcome measure will be the change in panic symptoms as assessed by the Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS). Secondary outcome measures will include the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) and the Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) scale. Participants will be assessed at baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks. Adverse events will be monitored throughout the study. Expected Results: This pilot study is expected to provide preliminary data on the feasibility and potential efficacy of hydroxyzine for panic disorder. The results will inform the design of a larger RCT to further evaluate the efficacy of hydroxyzine for this population. Significance: There is a need for effective and well-tolerated treatments for panic disorder. If found to be effective, hydroxyzine could provide a new option for patients with this condition, potentially improving their quality of life and functioning. The results of this pilot study will inform the design of future studies and contribute to the development of evidence-based treatments for panic disorder.
Essential Hypotension and Allostasis Registry
Blood PressureDepression17 moreThe essential arterial hypotension and allostasis registry is a prospective, observational research that has the purpose of demonstrating that essential blood pressure (BP) disorders and the associated comorbidities are a result of the inappropriate allostatic response to daily life stress. This required a functioning brain orchestrating the evaluation of the threat and choosing the response, this is a mind-mediated phenomenon. If the response is excessive it contributes to high BP, if deficient to low BP, and the BP itself will identify the allostatic pattern, which in turn will play an important role in the development of the comorbidities. To do so, consecutive patients of any age and gender that visit a cardiologist's office in Medellin, Colombia, are recruited. Individuals are classified according to their arterial BP and allostasis and follow them in time to see what kind of diseases develops the most (including BP) in the follow up according to the categorization of the characteristic chosen and after adjustment for confounder's variables. In addition, stress events with their date are registered. HYPOTHESIS The causes of the diseases are multifactorial. Physical, biochemical, psychological, social, and cultural dimensions of development dynamically interact to shape the health development process. A person´s health depends on their: Biological and physiologic systems External and internal environment (a) physical, b) internal behavioural and arousal state as registered by the brain. Their interaction. The allostatic mechanisms to the internal and external stressors (allostatic load) involves a network composed by: Functional systems; mediated by: The Autonomic Nervous System The endocrine system The immune system Structural changes: whenever the internal and/or external stressors are long lasting and/or strength enough, they may induce changes in: Epigenetic, endophenotypes, polyphenism. Plasticity The interaction between a) and b). The network response do not affect exclusively the BP, propitiating the development of comorbidities, which may prompt strategies for prevention, recognition and ultimately, treatment. The allostatic model defines health as a state of responsiveness. The concept of psycho-biotype: The allostasis is the result of both: biological (allostasis) and psychological (psychostasis) abilities. It is proposed that both components behave in similar direction and magnitude. Immune disorders may be associated with the development of cancer. High BP population has a higher sympathetic and lower vagal tone, this has been associated with a decrease in the immune´s system function. Resources and energy depletion: Terms like weathering have been used to describe how exposures to different allostatic loads gradually scrape away at the protective coating that keeps people healthy. It is postulated that High BP individuals have more resources and energy.
Testing a Precision Psychotherapy System for Low-income Patients
Major Depressive DisorderDysthymic Disorder5 moreThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of an evidence-based system to recommend core interventions, before the beginning of treatment, to psychotherapists treating low-income patients with depressive or anxiety disorders.
The Relationship Between Panic Attack Symptoms and Atrial Fibrillation Episodes.
Atrial Fibrillation ParoxysmalPanic2 moreTo characterize the relationship between panic attack symptoms and atrial fibrillation episodes using a real-time assessment data capturing system that reduces recall biases of previous research.
Neurobiological Markers of Treatment Response for Anxiety and OCD
Obsessive-Compulsive DisorderSocial Anxiety Disorder1 moreObsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety disorders are common and debilitating conditions which are often chronic when treatment is not provided. International guidelines recommend cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as the first-line treatment, and research has shown that CBT can be delivered over a concentrated period of time. The Bergen 4-Day Treatment (B4DT) is an exposure-based treatment which is delivered over four consecutive days. B4DT has been shown to induce rapid and long-lasting remission in around 70% of patients. This provides a platform for studying psychological and neurobiological changes associated with treatment response and non-response. The present study will investigate longitudinal changes in psychological measures and DNA methylation in patients who receive the B4DT, as well as a subset will also undergo multimodal brain imaging.
Measuring Physiology to Determine if Pre-panic Attack Detection is Possible
Panic DisorderParticipants will be asked to wear a physiological monitoring device for 1 week and record when panic events occur. Once the device is returned, the data will be downloaded and analyzed.
Mobile-assisted Case Management for Panic Disorder
Panic DisorderA panic attack (PA) is an intense form of anxiety accompanied by multiple somatic presentations, leading to frequent emergency department visits and impairing quality of life. A prediction model for PAs could help clinicians and patients monitor, control, and do early intervention for recurrent panic attacks, enabling more personalized treatment for panic disorder. This study aimed to provide a seven-day PA prediction model and determine the relationship between a future PA and various features, including physiological factors, anxiety and depressive factors, and air quality index. We will enroll 200 participants (150 participants join case management with wearables study, 50 participants join TAU group) with PD (DMS-5 and MINI interview). Participants used smartwatches (Garmin vivosmart 4) and mobile applications to collect their sleep, heart rate, activity level, anxiety, and depression scores (BDI, BAI, STAI-S, STAI-T, and PDSS-SR) in their real-life for a duration of one year. We also included air quality indexes from open data. To analyze these data, our team used six machine learning methods: random forests, decision trees, LDA, AdaBoost, XGBoost, and regularized greedy forests, or other deep learning methods.
Ramelteon for Sleep Initiation Insomnia in Individuals With Panic Disorder Who Are Also on Escitalopram...
Panic DisorderInsomniaAlmost 80% of panic disorder patients report difficulty sleeping. Sleep disturbances in turn may exacerbate underlying anxiety/panic attacks. Moreover, individuals with insomnia (sleep disturbance) are at higher risk of developing a new anxiety disorder. Therefore it is expected that improving sleep quality with medications along with other medications to treat anxiety component of panic disorder might be helpful. However, there is lack of pharmacological studies examining the effects of improving sleep disturbances with medications in panic disorder patients, which is a critical problem for providing optimal care to these patients. The objective of this proposal is to determine the effects of ramelteon (FDA approved for insomnia) on sleep disturbances in Panic disorder patients who are on escitalopram for underlying anxiety.