Clinical trial NCT00326430: Residential Cognitive and Interpersonal Therapy for Social Phobia
Official title: Residential Cognitive Therapy Versus Residential Interpersonal Therapy for Social Phobia: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: PHASE2
PHASE3
Conditions: Social Phobia
Keywords: Social Phobia
Cognitive Therapy
Interpersonal Therapy
Efficacy
Process-Outcome
Lead sponsor: Modum Bad
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2006-05-16
Enrollment: 80
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 65
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: The purpose of this study is twofold: (1) to compare the effectiveness of two promising treatments for social phobia, a new cognitive therapy model (Clark \& Wells, 1995; Borge et al., 2001) and interpersonal therapy (Lipsitz, Markowitz, \& Cherry, 1997), adapted for inpatient groups; and (2) to study the empirical change processes in these therapies and compare them with the cognitive and interpersonal models of change.

Detailed description: Social phobia typically leads to severe impairment in work and other social life, and - without treatment - it can persist for decades. Given its prevalence, severity, and chronicity, effective treatment methods are strongly needed. However, traditional psychological and pharmacological treatments have had statistically significant, but clinically limited effects (Taylor, 1996).

Based on an empirical analysis of the cognitive processes in social phobia, Clark and Wells (1995) have developed a new cognitive model. Cognitive therapy (CT) derived from this model has been found to be superior to a combination of fluoxetine and self-exposure (Clark et al., 2003).

Social phobic symptoms may be viewed as a result of more general interpersonal difficulties and interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) can be a reasonable alternative for social phobia (Lipsitz \& Markowitz, 1996). A clinical case series indicates that social phobic patients improve during interpersonal psychotherapy for social phobia (IPT-SP; Lipsitz et al., 1999.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* DSM-IV criteria for social phobia
* the patient consider social phobia as the main current problem
* willingness to suspend use of psychotropic medication, alcohol and other substances
* acceptance of random allocation
* ability to speak Norwegian
* age 18-65 years.

Exclusion Criteria:

* a history of recurrent major depression currently treated sucessfully with antidepressant medications
* has immediate need for additional treatment
* current psychotic disorder or substance abuse
* organic mental disorder
* previously treated with similar models

Primary outcomes:
measure: Social Avoidance
measure: Social Anxiety
Secondary outcomes:
measure: General Anxiety
measure: Depression
measure: Interpersonal Problems
measure: Personality Disorders
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Vikersund
country: Norway
facility: Modum Bad
state: Buskerud
Study officials:
affiliation: Modum Bad
name: Asle Hoffart, Dr Psychol
role: STUDY_CHAIR
affiliation: Modum Bad
name: Finn-Magnus Borge, Cand Psychol
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: