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Clinical Trials/NCT03972033
NCT03972033
Recruiting
Not Applicable

Multicenter RCT Comparing EMDR and CBT Efficacy for Treatmen of Resistant Depression

University of Turin, Italy1 site in 1 country128 target enrollmentFebruary 1, 2019

Overview

Phase
Not Applicable
Intervention
Not specified
Conditions
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
Sponsor
University of Turin, Italy
Enrollment
128
Locations
1
Primary Endpoint
changes in HRV
Status
Recruiting
Last Updated
4 years ago

Overview

Brief Summary

Depression is one of the most common invalidating mental disorders, ranked by World Health Organization as the single largest contributor to global disability. Current recommended treatments for depression include antidepressant medication and according to guidelines, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Interpersonal Therapy (IPT). Despite encouraging preliminary results (e.g., Matthijssen et al., 2020), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is not yet recognized as an effective therapy for depression by APA and NICE. The project aims to conduct a large multisite study that addresses the shortcomings of previous efficacy research on EMDR for depression. The primary aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of EMDR therapy in reducing depressive symptoms in adults with major depression as compared to CBT. Secondary aims of the study are the effectiveness of EMDR, as compared to CBT and TAU, in improving anxiety, and other symptoms. It is hypothesized that EMDR is not inferior to CBT.

Detailed Description

The study is a multicenter clinical randomized controlled trial, conducted in Italy, USA and UK that will assess the effectiveness of EMDR therapy compared to CBT and TAU. Patients will be recruited at four clinical centers: Turin and Rome in Italy, and Kansas City in USA. The study protocol was approved by the local research ethics committee in each of the countries where the intervention is implemented.

Registry
clinicaltrials.gov
Start Date
February 1, 2019
End Date
December 31, 2024
Last Updated
4 years ago
Study Type
Interventional
Study Design
Parallel
Sex
All

Investigators

Sponsor
University of Turin, Italy
Responsible Party
Principal Investigator
Principal Investigator

luca ostacoli

Full Professor

University of Turin, Italy

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

  • a diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder, single episode or recurrent, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5);
  • a score of at least 20 on Beck's Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II);
  • having received ADM treatment with a stable dose for at least six weeks and maintained stable during treatment;
  • legal capacity to consent to the treatment.

Exclusion Criteria

  • diagnosis of current PTSD (assessed with MINI-Plus and the International Trauma Questionnaire - ITQ, Cloitre et al., 2018);
  • diagnosis of complex PTSD (assessed with the ITQ);
  • history of psychotic symptoms or schizophrenia;
  • bipolar disorder or dementia;
  • cluster A and B severe personality disorders;
  • dissociative symptoms (DES-B score \>2);
  • any substance-related abuse or dependence disorder (except those involving nicotine) in the 6 months prior to the study;
  • a serious, unstable medical condition;
  • a severely unstable social and economic condition (e.g. no fixed abode; job loss without any other source of income);
  • being pregnant;

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

changes in HRV

Time Frame: month 0 (T0, baseline), month 4 (T1, post-treatment), month 10 (T2, followup), month 22 (T3, followup)

HRV detection during hdEEG assessment

changes in fMRI

Time Frame: month 0 (T0)

fMRI in resting state phase and a second phase with a task

Changes in depressive symptoms

Time Frame: month 0 (T0, baseline), month 4 (T1, post-treatment), month 10 (T2, followup), month 22 (T3, followup).

Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II)

changes in cognitive component of depressive syndrome

Time Frame: month 0 (T0, baseline), month 4 (T1, post-treatment), month 10 (T2, followup), month 22 (T3, followup)

Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS)

changes in HD-EEG

Time Frame: month 0 (T0, baseline), month 4 (T1, post-treatment), month 10 (T2, followup), month 22 (T3, followup)

HD-EEG in resting state phase and a second phase with a task

changing in depressive symptoms

Time Frame: month 0 (T0, baseline), month 4 (T1, post-treatment), month 10 (T2, followup), month 22 (T3, followup) and every week

Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)

changes in depressive symptoms

Time Frame: week 0, week 16, week 40

Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS)

psychiatric diagnosis

Time Frame: month 0 (T0)

Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5)

Secondary Outcomes

  • changing in quality of sleep, in particular insomnia(month 0 (T0, baseline), month 4 (T1, post-treatment), month 10 (T2, followup), month 22 (T3, followup))
  • addressing potentially traumatizing events(month 0 (T0))
  • assessing childhood trauma(month 0 (T0))
  • evaluating the quality of relationships(month 0 (T0))
  • changing in the dimensions of the emotional style(month 0 (T0, baseline), month 4 (T1, post-treatment), month 10 (T2, followup), month 22 (T3, followup))
  • changing in physical activity habits(month 0 (T0, baseline), month 4 (T1, post-treatment), month 10 (T2, followup), month 22 (T3, followup))
  • changing in suicidal thinking(month 0 (T0, baseline), month 4 (T1, post-treatment), month 10 (T2, followup), month 22 (T3, followup))
  • changing in dissociative symptoms(month 0 (T0, baseline), month 4 (T1, post-treatment), month 10 (T2, followup), month 22 (T3, followup))
  • changing in anxiety symptoms(month 0 (T0, baseline), month 4 (T1, post-treatment), month 10 (T2, followup), month 22 (T3, followup) and every week)
  • changing in post-traumatic stress symptoms(month 0 (T0, baseline), month 4 (T1, post-treatment), month 10 (T2, followup), month 22 (T3, followup))
  • assessing disability and functional impairment as a result of treatment(1 month time frame)
  • changing in autonomic symptoms(month 0 (T0, baseline), month 4 (T1, post-treatment), month 10 (T2, followup), month 22 (T3, followup))
  • changing in the emotional regulation(month 0 (T0, baseline), month 4 (T1, post-treatment), month 10 (T2, followup), month 22 (T3, followup))
  • changing in stress(month 0 (T0, baseline), month 4 (T1, post-treatment), month 10 (T2, followup), month 22 (T3, followup))
  • changing in post-traumatic symptoms(month 0 (T0, baseline), month 4 (T1, post-treatment), month 10 (T2, followup), month 22 (T3, followup))

Study Sites (1)

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