St. John's Wort for the Treatment of Generalized Social Anxiety Disorder (GSAD)

September 25, 2007 updated by: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

Placebo-Controlled Trial of Hypericum Perforatum in the Treatment of Generalized Social Anxiety Disorder (GSAD)

This study will determine whether the herbal product St. John's wort is safe and effective in treating generalized social anxiety disorder (GSAD).

Study hypothesis: Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort) is more effective in treating GSAD than placebo.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has grown dramatically over the last decade. Botanical treatments originating from plants have become especially popular for treating conditions such as anxiety and depression. Evidence suggests that the botanical St. John's wort has neurochemical activity similar to that of conventional medications. However, research on the safety and effectiveness of St. John's wort is limited. This study will determine the safety and effectiveness of St. John's wort in treating GSAD, a serious condition characterized by intense fear of various social situations that may cause embarrassment.

Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either St. John's wort or placebo daily for 10 weeks. Self-report scales will be used to assess participants' GSAD symptoms at study entry and at study completion. Blood collection will occur at every weekly study visit to determine the levels of St. John's wort in the blood.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

56

Phase

  • Phase 2
  • Phase 3

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
    • North Carolina
      • Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27710
        • Duke University Medical Center

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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of GSAD
  • Brief Social Phobia Scale (BSPS) score of 20 or higher

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Comorbid anxiety, depressive, or bipolar disorders
  • Schizophrenia
  • Cognitive impairment
  • Substance abuse or dependence within 1 year prior to study entry
  • Any unstable medical condition
  • Clinically significant laboratory or electrocardiogram (EKG) abnormality
  • Currently use psychotropic medications or may need psychotropic medication during the study
  • Psychotherapy within 6 weeks prior to study entry
  • Failed a previous trial of St. John's wort at doses of 1800 mg/day or greater
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding

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: Double

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Clinical Global Impression (CGI), designed to assess global severity of illness and change in the clinical condition over time

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Brief Social Phobia Scale (BSPS)
Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale
Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN)
Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS)
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Wei Zhang, MD, Duke University

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

August 1, 2002

Study Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2006

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 7, 2005

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 7, 2005

First Posted (Estimate)

July 12, 2005

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

September 26, 2007

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 25, 2007

Last Verified

September 1, 2007

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • K23AT000583-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

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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