Acceptability and Clinical, Cognitive and Brain Efficacy of the Pilot of a Computerized Psychotherapy Program Based on Behavioural and Cognitive Techniques in the Depressed Patient
Condition: Depression
MeSH terms: Depression
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Depression is a common disease with a high rate of recurrence. It is a major public health
      problem with significant health costs. World Health Organization estimates that 34 million
      people worldwide are affected by depression but not treated. Common barriers to accessing
      care in depression would be: the high cost of therapy, long waiting times, low presence of
      therapists in some communities, travel difficulties, fear of being "stigmatized", not to
      mention the presence of negative biases towards psychotherapy. Behavioural and Cognitive
      Therapies are standardized psychotherapies using operationalized methodologies and offering a
      pedagogical approach to learning specific change techniques and skills. They are the
      treatment of choice for many of the mental disorders, including depression, which has been
      proven effective through numerous scientific studies. They are now recognized by the French
      Authority for Health as the most scientifically validated psychotherapies and are recommended
      in particular for the treatment of depression.

      In a context of constant development of information technology and the Internet, computer
      programs and websites concerning health, and in particular mental health, have emerged. Among
      the mental health programs, Computer Based Cognitive Behavior Therapy programs in
      English-speaking countries now offer patients remote Internet-based behavioural and cognitive
      therapies.

      These programs, which are not available in France, have been the subject of numerous
      meta-analyses demonstrating their therapeutic effectiveness. Some of these Computer Based
      Cognitive Behavior Therapy programs such as Beating The Blues® are recommended by health
      organizations such as the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence in the
      treatment of depression.

      This advent of computerized therapies is part of a movement to raise awareness of the
      epidemiological extent of mood disorders and the inadequacy of management methods. These
      "therapist-free" programs are, via an interactive and multimedia interface, an alternative
      means of care, making it possible to overcome the usual obstacles to accessing care. In our
      opinion, they represent an important area of research in an increasingly computerized health
      system.

      We propose to study the acceptability and effectiveness of the pilot of a Computer Based
      Cognitive Behavior Therapy targeting depression developed at the University of Nice Sophia
      Antipolis; in three dimensions:

        1. Clinical: via scales for measuring depressive symptomatology and depression
           characteristics;

        2. Cognitive: via specific scales of cognitive-behavioural dimensions and validated in
           depression.

        3. Neurophysiological: via electroencephalographic markers linked to cognitive processes;
           The research framework would be that of a prospective trial. This work bridges the gap
           between neurosciences, neuropsychology and the psychiatric clinic, while at the same
           time being part of a commitment to research in the field of "e-health".
    


Intervention name(s): Software use
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): The patient will connect to a computerized platform to access the program. The program consists of 5 modules ("lessons"), each lasting approximately 40 minutes. Each module or lesson includes pedagogical assessments and explanations of the problem(s) in question, illustrations, testimonies, tips, exercises and recommended activities.
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention