Adjunctive Treatment of Major Depression Utilizing Auricular Acupuncture

September 15, 2021 updated by: Sherry Alexander, Florida Gulf Coast University
This will be a randomized, single blind study of 6 weeks duration involving the use of auricular acupuncture or sham acupuncture in the adjunctive treatment of depression in college students.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This will be a randomized, single blind study of 6 weeks duration involving the use of auricular acupuncture or sham acupuncture in the add adjunctive treatment of depression in college students. College students presenting for care at Counseling and Psychological Services, who meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - V (DSM-V) criteria for major depression single episode or recurrent will be included in the trial. Subjects will be randomized into a sham auricular acupuncture group, or a treatment acupuncture group. All subjects who meet the inclusion criteria will be treated with the Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) Lexapro 10 mg daily which will be increased to 20 mg daily at week 2. Some subjects will be treated twice weekly during their follow-up visits with sham auricular acupuncture, some subjects will be treated with micro-currents of electricity in the auricular acupuncture group. The duration of the trial will be 6 weeks.

Auricular acupuncture is a form of acupuncture which utilizes the surface of the external ear to identify points of inflammation in the body. It does this, in this case, by utilizing the Pointer Excel II probe which can pick up a change in electrical conductivity on the surface of the ear, which reflects an internal point of inflammation or stress. Once the point of inflammation is identified, the Pointer Excel II is equipped with a sensor that it will not only illuminate by way of a small light on the front of the probe will also identify the point of inflammation by way of an auditory signal. Once the point of inflammation is identified auricular acupuncture will treat that point with a micro-current of electricity for several seconds. In the case of treatment, there will be an auditory alarm followed by a micro -current dose of electricity. Sham acupuncture will be characterized by the auditory alarm, but no current will be applied to the participants ear.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
13

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Florida
      • Fort Myers, Florida, United States, 33965
        • Counseling and Psychological Services

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 24 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Meets DSM-V criteria for major depression single episode or recurrent as a primary diagnosis. Participants must have been symptomatic with depression for 2 months or more and less than 18 months.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • a current diagnosis or history of alcohol or substance abuse or dependence that has not been in full and sustained remission for 3 months
  • any current psychiatric diagnosis which is the primary focus of treatment other than major depression
  • current history of mania or hypomania, schizophrenia, or any psychotic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, autism spectrum conditions, organic mental disorders or mental disorders due to a physical condition
  • the participant has a history of lack of response to a previous adequate treatment with 2 antidepressants for major depression at a standard dose for at least a six-week period of time
  • any axis II disorder
  • if the participant is female the participant agrees to use adequate contraception from the signing of the informed consent and throughout the study and for 30 days afterwards. pregnant or lactating females or those intending to become pregnant during the study are excluded
  • if the participant is unlikely to comply with a clinical study protocol or is unsuitable for the study as determined by the principal investigator
  • if the participant has clinically significant unstable physical illness such as neurologic disorders, diabetes, immunologic disorders, or any disturbance of a metabolic nature which may compromise the study
  • the participant has a risk of suicide according to the investigators clinical judgment and according to the screening instruments used in the trial
  • the subject has started receiving formal cognitive psychotherapy within 30 days from screening or plans to initiate such therapy during the study.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Auricular Acupuncture + Lexapro
Participants will be treated with the SSRI Lexapro 10 mg daily which will be increased to 20 mg daily at week 2. Participants in this group will be treated twice weekly during their follow-up visits with micro-currents of electricity through auricular acupuncture.
Device: Auricular Acupuncture
Auricular acupuncture is a form of acupuncture which utilizes the surface of the external ear to identify points of inflammation in the body. It does this, in this case, by utilizing the Pointer Excel II probe which can pick up a change in electrical conductivity on the surface of the ear, which reflects an internal point of inflammation or stress. Once the point of inflammation is identified, the Pointer Excel II is equipped with a sensor that it will not only illuminate by way of a small light on the front of the probe will also identify the point of inflammation by way of an auditory signal. Once the point of inflammation is identified auricular acupuncture will treat that point with a micro-current of electricity for several seconds.
Other Names:
  • Pointer Excel II
Sham Comparator: Sham Auricular Acupuncture + Lexapro
Participants will be treated with the SSRI Lexapro 10 mg daily which will be increased to 20 mg daily at week 2. Participants will be treated twice weekly during their follow-up visits with sham auricular acupuncture (No micro-current).
Drug: Sham Auricular Acupuncture + Lexapro
Participants will be treated with the SSRI Lexapro 10 mg daily which will be increased to 20 mg daily at week 2. Participants will be treated twice weekly during their follow-up visits with sham auricular acupuncture (No micro-current).
Other Names:
  • SSRI Lexapro

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change From Baseline Score of the Sheehan Disability Scale Through 6 Weeks
Time Frame: Assessed at baseline and 6 weeks.
Instrument developed to assess functional impairment in three inter-related domains; work/school, social and family life. Items are scored on a 0 - 10 point scale. Higher scores indicate more functional impairment.
Assessed at baseline and 6 weeks.
Change of Mean Score of the Behavioral Health Measure-20 Between Baseline and End of Study
Time Frame: Assessed at Baseline and After Treatment, Approximately 6 Weeks later.
The Behavioral Health Measure - 20 (BHM-20) is a 20-item client-report questionnaire that assesses the three phases of behavioral health: (a) well-being (distress, life satisfaction, motivation), (b) psychological symptoms (depression, anxiety, panic disorder, mood swings associated with bipolar disorder, eating disorder, alcohol/drug abuse, suicidality, risk of violence), and (c) life functioning (work/school, intimate relationships, social relationships, life enjoyment). The BHM-20 assesses the most frequently seen problems in outpatient psychotherapy. Scores range from 0-4. Lower scores indicate more distress.
Assessed at Baseline and After Treatment, Approximately 6 Weeks later.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Florida Gulf Coast University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: John Prater, DO, Counseling and Psychological Services

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
August 1, 2015

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 1, 2016

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
October 5, 2015

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 16, 2015

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
October 19, 2015

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
October 12, 2021

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 15, 2021

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • FloridaGCU

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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