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One study found that an online intervention program can help prevent depressive episodes in most-at-risk teens. Although up to 20% of teens experience a depressive episode each year, the medical community has struggled to put in place programs that effectively prevent depression.
Researchers at the University of Illinois in Chicago, USA are working to fill this gap by conducting clinical trials to evaluate and compare interventions. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, highlights the positive effect of CATCH-IT, a Web-based intervention.
The multicenter and randomized clinical trial compared the CATCH-IT intervention, which consists of specific online learning modules for depression, motivational interviews and coaching, to a control intervention . The control intervention consisted of general health education and was also delivered through e-learning modules. More than 350 adolescents aged 13 to 18 from a combination of rural and urban areas were included in the trial. Participants had either a history of depression or depressive symptoms, which were measured and attributed during screening. The researchers followed the participants for two years and followed the depressive episodes.
Although depressive symptoms were reduced in all participants, they found no difference between groups except in higher risk adolescents whose depressive symptoms were elevated during initial screening. Among this group, the people who participated in the CATCH-IT intervention showed a greater benefit, with a risk reduction of up to 80% in the event of a depressive episode.
The signs of depression in young people are often forgotten because they are more likely to have symptoms of irritability, anger and withdrawal than sadness. (Shutterstock)
"This study tells us that the online intervention works best for teens who exhibit more serious symptoms," said Benjamin Van Voorhees, the principal investigator of the research.
"We hypothesized that all participants would be better off, but perhaps it is even more telling to see such a significant reduction in risk in a smaller group of high-risk adolescents. We need to shift the care from depression from responsive treatments to generalized prevention, but to be successful, we need more research into what interventions work and about patients in primary care settings, "Van Voorhees said. CATCH-IT is an acronym for "Transition of Competent Adult Life" with humanistic and interpersonal cognitive-behavioral training and has been designed to teach adaptation techniques to adolescents and young adults.
The intervention included 20 modules, including 15 for adolescents. The other five were for the parents. The information contained in the modules was based mainly on previously validated teaching materials on the management of depression and methods of behavioral and interpersonal psychotherapy. Examples of modules included lessons on ways to escape negative thoughts, identifying triggers and habitual responses, as well as problem solving in stressful situations. The focus group intervention included 14 modules for adolescents and four modules for parents, which gave instructions on general health topics, such as proper nutrition, sleep, exercise, and safety habits.
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First published: Nov 05, 2018 16:34 IST
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