Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depressed Adolescents Engaging in Non-suicidal Self-injury
Condition: Depression; Self-injurious Behavior
MeSH terms: Depression; Self-Injurious Behavior
Study type: Interventional
Phase: Phase 1

Summary: 
      The purpose of this study is to examine the feasibility of using Interpersonal Psychotherapy
      for Depressed Adolescents (IPT-A) to treat adolescents who are experiencing symptoms of
      depression and are engaging in non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors. The trial will include
      recruiting 10 particpants, administering 12-sessions of individual IPT-A, and determining how
      the IPT-A protocol needs to be amended to adequately address the self-injury in addition to
      depression.
    

Detailed description: 
      Engagement in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), purposefully harming oneself without the
      conscious intent to die such as cutting or burning, is pervasive among adolescents. Lifetime
      prevalence estimates among community samples of high school students range from 13.0% to
      23.2%. Despite the significance of this public health problem, there are no known
      interventions that successfully reduce the frequency of NSSI or prevent NSSI in adolescents.
      The goal of the current study is to develop an effective psychosocial intervention for NSSI
      among adolescents who are engaging in self-injury and have a depressive disorder.
      Specifically, we will amend Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depressed Adolescents (IPT-A), a
      psychotherapy that has demonstrated efficacy in treating depressed adolescents (Mufson et
      al., 1994, 1999, 2004), for use with adolescents with depression who are engaging in NSSI,
      with the ultimate goal of curing the depression and NSSI. Ten participants will be
      administered IPT-A and assessed several times throughout the course of the trial. It is
      expected that IPT-A will be a useful treatment for co-morbid depression and self-injury,
      although adaptations to the protocol will likely be needed to address the behavioral aspect
      of the self-injury. Data analyses will be descriptive in nature and involve examining the
      individual trajectories of depression and NSSI over time. The data obtained from the current
      study will lay the groundwork for an ultimate randomized controlled trial in which we plan to
      compare IPT-A versus nondirective supportive therapy in the treatment of co-morbid depression
      and NSSI.
    

Intervention name(s): Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depressed Adolescents
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Open clinical trial of IPT-ASI for depressed and self-injuring adolescents, 12-18 years. Goal is to assess feasibility of using IPT-A protocol for teens with co-morbid depression and self-injury. All eligible participants receive 12 weeks of individual IPT-ASI with optional monthly booster sessions. IPT-ASI is a psychosocial intervention that focuses on the importance of interpersonal relationships in relation to psychological functioning. The first phase (4 weeks) includes a review of depression and self-injury symptoms, psycho-education about depression and self-injury, and a detailed assessment of the patient's important interpersonal relationships. The middle phase (weeks 5-9) involves interpersonal skill building, including communication skills, affect identification and expression, problem solving. The final phase ( weeks 10-12) involves review of skills, generalization of skills to other relationships, termination.
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: self-injurious behavior; depression; adolescents; psychotherapy