E-Mental Health Adolescent Depression Program (LEAP)
Condition: Depression
MeSH terms: Depression; Depressive Disorder
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The purpose of this project is to explore the potential value and practicality of an
      innovative depression intervention for young people. More specifically, the objectives of
      this project are:

        1. to pilot the Internet-based Spirituality Program with depressed young people (age 13-24)
           in Calgary by:

             1. obtaining preliminary estimates on the impact of the program on the primary outcome
                of depression severity, and secondary outcomes of spiritual well-being and
                self-concept.

             2. obtaining preliminary estimates on response rates and remission rates to guide
                sample size estimations for a full size randomized trial.

             3. evaluating if the suggested research methodology is feasible with respect to
                recruitment rate, patient burden and clinical implementation to guide design of a
                full size randomized trial.

        2. to gather feedback from depressed young people, their families and referral sources in
           the community (schools, family physicians, mental health outpatient services) on the
           perceived value of the program and on ways to eventually make it available as a
           community resource for others dealing with depression.
    

Detailed description: 
      Depression in adolescents and young adults is a prevalent illness in Canada and presents a
      high burden for those affected and their families. In Canada, depressive disorders are on the
      rise and their onset is occurring earlier in life. There is a growing body of evidence
      suggesting that spiritual wellness may play a role in depression management and recovery.
      Considering the limitations of available treatments for depression and the significant burden
      of the disease there is a need for new treatment options that are safe, effective, affordable
      and acceptable to young people. Our previous research gives strong support to the idea of
      using a spiritually based intervention for depression. To our knowledge, no research has been
      conducted on using spirituality as a self-study intervention in the management of depression
      in young adults. Over the last two years our team has created a spirituality-based
      intervention program for adolescent depression. The program could present an innovative and
      low cost treatment option for young patients with major depression.
    

Intervention name(s): LEAP Project
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): In collaboration with experts from Alberta Health Services, the University of Calgary, and Mount Royal University, the Canadian Institute of Natural and Integrative Medicine (CINIM) has created the LEAP Project, a spirituality informed e-mental health intervention, for young people with major depressive disorders (see Appendix for sample materials). It is an online, eight module, multimedia intervention delivered over eight weeks, requiring a weekly commitment of 2-3 hours. The intervention is non-denominational and avoids a focus on any religious traditions. The program aims to treat depression by guiding depressed young people through an exploration of spiritual concepts and principles.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: e-mental health; Adolescent mental health; Spirituality