Clinical trial NCT00052091: Therapy for Depressed Elders With Thought Problems
Official title: PST in Geriatric Depression With Executive Dysfunction
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: PHASE3
Conditions: Depression
Cognition Disorders
Keywords: Geriatrics
Lead sponsor: University of Washington
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
First posted: 2003-01-23
Enrollment: 221
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 60
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: This study will compare the effectiveness of Problem Solving Therapy and Brief Supportive Therapy in treating elderly patients with major depression and thought problems.

Detailed description: Patients who suffer from a combination of major depression and executive dysfunction symptoms often respond poorly to treatment with antidepressants. It is important, therefore, to find effective alternative therapies to treat these symptoms.

Patients are randomly assigned to receive 12 sessions (1 session/week for 12 weeks) of either PST or BST. Following treatment, patients are followed for 6 months to determine functional and clinical outcomes. Depression scales, disability scales, and scales that measure problem solving skills are used to assess patients.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Nonpsychotic, unipolar major depression
* Cognitive impairment
* English speaking

Exclusion Criteria:

* High suicide risk
* Dementia
* Acute or severe medical illness
* Current psychotherapy

Primary outcomes:
measure: Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression
timeFrame: Measured at screening, weeks 1 through 12, and week 36
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: San Francisco
country: United States
facility: University of California at San Francisco
state: California
city: White Plains
country: United States
facility: Weill Medical College of Cornell University
state: New York
Study officials:
affiliation: University of California at San Francisco
name: Patricia A. Arean, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Arean PA, Raue P, Mackin RS, Kanellopoulos D, McCulloch C, Alexopoulos GS. Problem-solving therapy and supportive therapy in older adults with major depression and executive dysfunction. Am J Psychiatry. 2010 Nov;167(11):1391-8. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2010.09091327. Epub 2010 Jun 1.
citation: Alexopoulos GS, Raue PJ, Kiosses DN, Mackin RS, Kanellopoulos D, McCulloch C, Arean PA. Problem-solving therapy and supportive therapy in older adults with major depression and executive dysfunction: effect on disability. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2011 Jan;68(1):33-41. doi: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.177.
citation: Alexopoulos GS, O'Neil R, Banerjee S, Raue PJ, Victoria LW, Bress JN, Pollari C, Arean PA. "Engage" therapy: Prediction of change of late-life major depression. J Affect Disord. 2017 Oct 15;221:192-197. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2017.06.037. Epub 2017 Jun 19.
citation: Gustavson KA, Alexopoulos GS, Niu GC, McCulloch C, Meade T, Arean PA. Problem-Solving Therapy Reduces Suicidal Ideation In Depressed Older Adults with Executive Dysfunction. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2016 Jan;24(1):11-17. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2015.07.010. Epub 2015 Jul 30.
citation: Alexopoulos GS, Raue PJ, Kiosses DN, Seirup JK, Banerjee S, Arean PA. Comparing engage with PST in late-life major depression: a preliminary report. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2015 May;23(5):506-13. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2014.06.008. Epub 2014 Jun 26.