JustKiddo/KiddosVault huggingface dataset:
The MARIGOLD study: Feasibility and enhancement of an online intervention to improve emotion regulation in people with elevated depressive symptoms.

This manuscript describes the first two phases of pilot testing MARIGOLD, an online self-guided positive emotion skills intervention for adults with elevated depressive symptoms, along with enhancements to overcome retention and adherence problems reported in previous research. Adults with elevated depressive symptoms were recruited online and assessed at baseline, post-intervention, 1- and 3-month follow-up. Phase 1 participants (n = 58) were randomized to MARIGOLD, daily emotion reporting, or waitlist. Phase 2 participants (n = 79) were randomized to MARIGOLD plus one enhancement: online discussion board (ODB), virtual badges (VB), or facilitator contact (FC). Post-intervention interviews assessed acceptability. Intention-to-treat analyses examined retention, adherence, and preliminary efficacy. In both phases, retention and adherence did not differ between groups. MARIGOLD skills were highly acceptable, but qualitative results indicate web-based features (e.g., log-in, ODB, VB) require refinement prior to larger testing. Neither phase demonstrated between-group differences in preliminary efficacy. In Phase 1 within-group analyses, MARIGOLD and emotion reporting control demonstrated a similar pattern of findings (stable depressive symptoms, increased positive emotion, decreased negative emotion and stress), whereas the waitlist group significantly increased in depressive mood. Most Phase 2 within-group analyses demonstrated the expected pattern of results (i.e., decreases in PHQ-8 and negative emotion, increases in positive emotion). However, CES-D scores were stable in FC; perceived stress was stable in FC and ODB. This pilot study is not powered to evaluate efficacy. Positive emotion skills, plus enhancements for web-based, self-guided delivery, warrant additional study in people with elevated depressive symptoms.
Waiting list may be a nocebo condition in psychotherapy trials: a contribution from network meta-analysis.

Various control conditions have been employed in psychotherapy trials, but there is growing suspicion that they may lead to different effect size estimates. The present study aims to examine the differences among control conditions including waiting list (WL), no treatment (NT) and psychological placebo (PP). We comprehensively searched for all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing cognitive-behaviour therapies (CBT) against various control conditions in the acute phase treatment of depression, and applied network meta-analysis (NMA) to combine all direct and indirect comparisons among the treatment and control arms. We identified 49 RCTs (2730 participants) comparing WL, NT, PP and CBT. This network of evidence was consistent, and the effect size estimates for CBT were substantively different depending on the control condition. The odds ratio of response for NT over WL was statistically significant at 2.9 (95% CI: 1.3-5.7). However, the quality of evidence, including publication bias, was less than ideal and none of the preplanned sensitivity analyses limiting to high-quality studies could be conducted, while findings of significant differences did not persist in post hoc sensitivity analyses trying to adjust for publication bias. There may be important differences in control conditions currently used in psychotherapy trials.
Adverse events during a disorder-specific psychotherapy compared to a nonspecific psychotherapy in patients with chronic depression.

A recent trial comparing Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP) and supportive psychotherapy in chronic depression found CBASP to be more effective in treating depressive symptoms. We aimed to evaluate adverse events that occurred during this trial. A randomized trial of chronically depressed outpatients was performed. The treatment included 32 sessions of CBASP or supportive psychotherapy. Therapists asked patients about adverse events and their intensity in each session using a standardized checklist. We analyzed the mean number of (severe) adverse events per patient up to Session 32 with gamma frailty recurrent event models. Two hundred and sixty patients were included in the analyses (66% female, mean age 45 years). Patients in the supportive psychotherapy group reported less severe adverse events in general, and less severe adverse events related to personal life and to occupational life than patients in the CBASP group. Less adverse events related to suicidal thoughts were reported in the CBASP compared with the supportive psychotherapy group. Differences in the adverse events profile may be explained by the treatment elements. Adverse events related to personal and occupational life for example might be considered a necessary and expected yet temporary adverse treatment outcome of an effective CBASP treatment.
The effects of blinding on the outcomes of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy for adult depression: A meta-analysis.

Randomized trials with antidepressants are often run under double blind placebo-controlled conditions, whereas those with psychotherapies are mostly unblinded. This can introduce bias in favor of psychotherapy when the treatments are directly compared. In this meta-analysis, we examine this potential source of bias. We searched Pubmed, PsycInfo, Embase and the Cochrane database (1966 to January 2014) by combining terms indicative of psychological treatment and depression, and limited to randomized trials. We included 35 trials (with 3721 patients) in which psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy for adult depression were directly compared with each other. We calculated effect sizes for each study indicating the difference between psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy at post-test. Then, we examined the difference between studies with a placebo condition and those without in moderator analyses. We did not find a significant difference between the studies with and those without a placebo condition. The studies in which a placebo condition was included indicated no significant difference between psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy (g=-0.07; NNT=25). Studies in which no placebo condition was included (and patients and clinicians in both conditions were not blinded), resulted in a small, but significant difference between psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy in favor of pharmacotherapy (g=-0.13; NNT=14). Studies comparing psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy in which both groups of patients (and therapists) are not blinded (no placebo condition is included) result in a very small, but significantly higher effect for pharmacotherapy.
Relapse and recurrence prevention in depression: current research and future prospects.

There is a growing body of literature which indicates that acute phases of psychotherapy are often ineffective in preventing relapse and recurrence in major depression. As a result, there is a need to develop and evaluate therapeutic approaches which aim to reduce the risk of relapse. This article provides a review of the empirical studies which have tested the prophylactic effects of therapy (cognitive-behavioral, mindfulness-based, and interpersonal psychotherapy) targeting relapse and recurrence in major depression. For definitional clarity, relapse is defined here as a return to full depressive symptomatology before an individual has reached a full recovery, whereas recurrence in defined as the onset of a new depressive episode after a full recovery has been achieved. Psychotherapeutic efforts to prevent relapse and recurrence in depression have been effective to varying degrees, and a number of variables appear to moderate the success of these approaches. A consistent finding has been that preventive cognitive-behavioral and mindfulness-based therapies are most effective for patients with three or more previous depressive episodes, and alternative explanations for this finding are discussed. It is noted, however, that a number of methodological limitations exist within this field of research, and so a set of hypotheses that may guide future studies in this area is provided.
Intensity of Treatment as Usual and Its Impact on the Effects of Face-to-Face and Internet-Based Psychotherapy for Depression: A Preregistered Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Treatment as usual (TAU) is the most frequently used control group in randomized trials of psychotherapy for depression. Concerns have been raised that the heterogeneity of treatments in TAU leads to biased estimates of psychotherapy efficacy and to an unclear difference between TAU and control groups like waiting list (WL). We investigated the impact of control group intensity (i.e., amount and degree to which elements of common depression treatments are provided) on the effects of face-to-face and internet-based psychotherapy for depression. We conducted a preregistered meta-analysis (www.osf.io/4mzyd). We included trials comparing psychotherapy with TAU or WL in patients with symptoms of unipolar depression. Six indicators were used to assess control group intensity. Standardized mean difference (SMD) of psychotherapy and control in depressive symptoms at treatment termination. We included 89 trials randomizing 14,474 patients to 113 psychotherapy conditions and 89 control groups (TAU in 42 trials, WL in 47 trials). Control group intensity predicted trial results in preregistered (one-sided ps < 0.042) and exploratory analyses. Psychotherapy effects were significantly smaller (one-sided p = 0.002) in trials with higher intensity TAU (SMD = 0.324, CI 0.209 to 0.439) than in trials with lower intensity TAU (SMD = 0.628, CI 0.455 to 0.801). Psychotherapy effects against lower intensity TAU did not differ from effects against WL (two-sided p = 0.663). Our results suggest that variation in TAU intensity impacts the outcome of trials. More scrutiny in the design of control groups for clinical trials is recommended.
Randomized trial of Internet-based relapse prevention for partially remitted depression.

To investigate whether Internet-based cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) can prevent relapse in persons with partially remitted major depression after previous treatment. Seventy-one women and 13 men (N = 84) with partially remitted major depression after treatment were randomly assigned to either 10 weeks of Internet-based CBT or to a control group. Self-help material was used in combination with e-mail contact with a personal therapist. Monthly self-ratings of depressive symptoms were made, and diagnostic interviews were conducted before and after the treatment period, as well as 6 months later. Significantly fewer participants in the CBT group experienced relapse (4/38 or 10.5%) compared with those in the control group (14/37 or 37.8%). The difference in relapse rates between groups occurred early in the study period and was still apparent after 6 months. A trend towards a larger reduction in depressive symptoms was observed at post-treatment in the participants who received CBT compared with controls. Reduction in depressive symptoms reduced the risk of relapse. A trend towards a higher remission rate was found in the CBT group at the 6 month follow-up. Internet-based CBT seems promising in preventing relapse in persons with partially remitted major depression after previous treatment.
Computer-Assisted Cognitive-Behavior Therapy for Depression in Primary Care: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

To examine evidence for the effectiveness of computer-assisted cognitive-behavior therapy (CCBT) for depression in primary care and assess the impact of therapist-supported CCBT versus self-guided CCBT. A search for randomized studies of CCBT compared to control groups for treating depression in primary care settings was conducted using Ovid MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Scopus. We extracted the following information from the studies that met inclusion criteria: mean depression rating scale scores before and after treatment, number of patients, type of control group and CCBT program, therapist support time and method of support, and treatment completion rate. Meta-analyses compared differences between posttreatment mean scores in each condition, as well as mean scores at follow-up. Study quality and possible bias also were assessed. Eight studies of CCBT for depression in primary care met inclusion criteria. The overall effect size was g = 0.258, indicating a small but significant advantage for CCBT over control conditions. Therapist support was provided in 4 of the 8 studies. The effect size for therapist-supported CCBT was g = 0.372-a moderate effect. However, the effect size for self-guided CCBT was g = 0.038, indicating little effect. Implementation of therapist-supported CCBT in primary care settings could enhance treatment efficiency, reduce cost, and improve access to effective treatment for depression. However, evidence to date suggests that self-guided CCBT offers no benefits over usual primary care.
Effectiveness of CBT and its modifications for prevention of relapse/recurrence in depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

CBT and its modifications are effective for depression, but its efficacy for preventing depressive relapse/recurrence remains unclear. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted scrutinizing the efficacy of CBT and its modifications for preventing depressive relapse/recurrence in randomized controlled trials. The retrieval database included PubMed, Web of Science, MEDLINE, and three major Chinese databases (CNKI, VIP, Wanfang), and the retrieval period was from January 1, 2009, to July 1, 2022. Data were analyzed by RevMan 5.4 and Stata 16. A total of 28 randomized controlled trials with 3938 participants were included. The relapse/recurrence rates in CBT and its modifications and the control group were 31.6 % and 41.3 %, respectively; CBT and its modifications significantly reduced the risk of developing a new depressive episode (RR, 0.73, 95%CI, 0.64-0.83). Stratified by follow-up time, both CBT and its modifications significantly reduced the relapse/recurrence of depression at ≤12 months (RR, 0.61, 95%CI, 0.47-0.79) and > 12 months (RR, 0.74, 95%CI, 0.59-0.93) compared with other active treatments. The beneficial effects of CBT and its modifications alone in reducing depressive relapse/recurrence were equivalent to those of antidepressant medication alone (RR, 1.01, 95 % CI, 0.79-1.28). Meta-regression results showed that the intervention method (P = 0.005) was one of the sources of heterogeneity. Further subgroup analysis is limited by the literature. CBT and its modifications are reliable interventions for preventing relapse/recurrence in patients with depression. Further research is needed to determine the specific conditions for CBT and its applications in clinical practice.
Is there an excess of significant findings in published studies of psychotherapy for depression?

Many studies have examined the efficacy of psychotherapy for major depressive disorder (MDD) but publication bias against null results may exist in this literature. However, to date, the presence of an excess of significant findings in this literature has not been explicitly tested. We used a database of 1344 articles on the psychological treatment of depression, identified through systematic search in PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE and the Cochrane database of randomized trials. From these we identified 149 studies eligible for inclusion that provided 212 comparisons. We tested for an excess of significant findings using the method developed by Ioannidis and Trikalinos (2007), and compared the distribution of p values in this literature with the distribution in the antidepressant literature, where publication bias is known to be operating. The average statistical power to detect the effect size indicated by the meta-analysis was 49%. A total of 123 comparisons (58%) reported a statistically significant difference between treatment and control groups, but on the basis of the average power observed, we would only have expected 104 (i.e. 49%) to do so. There was therefore evidence of an excess of significance in this literature (p = 0.010). Similar results were obtained when these analyses were restricted to studies including a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) arm. Finally, the distribution of p values for psychotherapy studies resembled that for published antidepressant studies, where publication bias against null results has already been established. The small average size of individual psychotherapy studies is only sufficient to detect large effects. Our results indicate an excess of significant findings relative to what would be expected, given the average statistical power of studies of psychotherapy for major depression.
Economic evaluation of audio based resilience training for depression in primary care.

Although there is some evidence on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of computerised cognitive behavioural therapy (CCBT) for treating anxiety and depression in primary care, alternative low-cost psychosocial interventions have not been investigated. The cost-effectiveness of an audio based resilience training (Positive Mental Training, PosMT) was examined using a decision model. Patient level cost and effectiveness data from a trial comparing a CCBT treatment and usual care and effectiveness data from a study on PosMT were used to inform this. Net benefits of CCBT and PosMT were approximately equal in individuals with 'moderate' depression at baseline and markedly in favour of PosMT for the 'severe' depression subgroup. With only four observations in the 'mild' depression category for PosMT, the existing evidence base remains unaltered. Efficacy data for the PosMT arm was derived from a study using a partially randomised preference design and the model structure contains simplifications due to lack of data availability. PosMT may represent good value for money in treatment of depression for certain groups of patients. More research in this area may be warranted.
Implementation of psychological therapies for anxiety and depression in routine practice: two year prospective cohort study.

Worldwide, health systems are improving access to empirically supported psychological therapies for anxiety and depression. Evaluations of this effort are limited by the cross sectional nature of studies, short implementation periods, poor data completeness rates and lack of clinically significant and reliable change metrics. Assess the impact of implementing stepped care empirically supported psychological therapies by measuring the prospective outcomes of patients referred over a two year period to one Improving Access to Psychological Therapies service in the UK. We collected demographic, therapeutic and outcome data on depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7) from 7859 consecutive patients for 24 months between 1st July 2006 and 31st August 2008, following up these patients for a further one year. 4183 patients (53%) received two or more treatment sessions. Uncontrolled effect size for depression was 1.07 (95% CI: 0.88 to 1.29) and for anxiety was 1.04 (0.88 to 1.23). 55.4% of treated patients met reliable improvement or reliable and clinically significant change criteria for depression, 54.7% for anxiety. Patients received a mean of 5.5 sessions over 3.5h, mainly low-intensity CBT and phone based case management. Attrition was high with 47% of referrals either not attending for an assessment or receiving an assessment only. Recovery rates for patients receiving stepped care empirically supported treatments for anxiety and depression in routine practice are 40 to 46%. Only half of all patients referred go on to receive treatment. Further work is needed to improve routine engagement of patients with anxiety and depression.
Staging Treatment Intensity and Defining Resistant Depression: Historical Overview and Future Directions.

To review existing staging models and definitions of treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and offer future directions within the context of up-to-date evidence. A PubMed search was conducted on February 25, 2018, for articles in English on TRD staging or definition using the following keywords: depressive disorder, treatment-resistant OR treatment resistant depression cross-referenced with staging OR degree OR level OR definition. Relevant cross-references from identified articles were also included. A total of 18 articles were identified that included a proposed TRD staging model, a proposed TRD definition, empirical work to support a model or definition, or any combination thereof. Included articles were summarized in chronological order in terms of the date the TRD staging model (and accompanying TRD definition if applicable) was first proposed. Findings from validation studies pertaining to staging or definition were then synthesized. Five staging models were identified. Strengths identified across staging models include rigorous assessment of adequacy of treatment, differentiation of resistance versus symptom return, assignment of equal weights to different pharmacotherapies, and accounting for augmentation. Future considerations should include differential weighting to specific augmentation agents based on available evidence, added weight to electroconvulsive therapy and ketamine treatments, and the addition of evidence-based psychotherapies. Dichotomous versus continuous approaches to TRD diagnosis were considered, with the latter (beginning with 1 failed trial) best explaining available data from large trials. The most up-to-date evidence in the literature should guide future research in the definition and staging of TRD.
Effectiveness of a web-based cognitive behavioural intervention for subthreshold depression: pragmatic randomised controlled trial.

Research on the effectiveness of treatments for subthreshold depression (sD) is still scarce. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of a web-based guided self-help intervention (GET.ON Mood Enhancer) in the treatment of sD. Participants with sD (n = 406) recruited from the general population via a large health insurance company were randomly allocated to a web-based cognitive behavioural intervention or to enhanced care-as-usual. The primary outcome was the reduction in depressive symptom severity as measured with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale at post-treatment and at 6-month follow-up. Participants in the intervention group showed a significantly greater pre-post reduction in depressive symptom severity (d = 1.06; 95% CI: 0.86-1.27) compared to the control condition (d = 0.29; 95% CI: 0.10-0.49). The corresponding between-group effect size was d = 0.69 (95% CI: 0.49-0.89). At 6-month follow-up the effect was reduced to d = 0.28 (95% CI: 0.09-0.48) but was still statistically significant (F1, 403 = 9.240, p = 0.003). This study lends support to the idea that problem solving coupled with behavioural activation is an effective treatment for sD. In addition, the delivery of this intervention over the Internet might be a promising strategy for the dissemination of psychological interventions for sD on a large scale.