Psychotherapy for Bipolar II Depression, Pilot Study, Phase II

Purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of an experimental psychotherapy (talk therapy) for the treatment of bipolar II depression. The name of this psychotherapy is Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy for Bipolar II Depression (IPSRT-BPII). Subjects will be randomly assigned to receive either IPSRT-BPII or the medication Seroquel (quetiapine) to manage their symptoms of bipolar II depression. Subjects will receive the assigned therapy for up to 20 weeks.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Bipolar II Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT-BPII); Drug: Seroquel

Detailed Description

The proposed pilot study is an experimental design intended to investigate the preliminary efficacy of Interpersonal Social Rhythm Therapy for Bipolar II Depression (IPSRT-BPII). A total of 56 eligible subjects with a diagnosis of bipolar II disorder will be randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups : Seroquel (n=28) or IPSRT-BPII (n=28). Following baseline assessment, all participants will undergo up to 20 weeks of their assigned treatment. Patients assigned to IPSRT-BPII who fail to respond (at least 50% reduction in HRSD-25 scores and YMRS ≤ 10) by week 12 will have Seroquel added to IPSRT-BPII. Subjects who achieve remission (defined as 3 consecutive weeks where both HRSD-25 and YMRS scores average ≤ 7) and have participated in the trial for a minimum of 12 weeks will be moved into a continuation phase where they will receive maintenance treatment (bi-monthly therapy sessions and/or pharmacotherapy) until week 20. Patients who do not achieve remission by Week 20 will be discontinued from treatment and referred for follow-up care. All subjects (remitters and non-remitters) will be assessed at 20 weeks.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 25
• Phase: Phase 2; Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Pennsylvania
    • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15213
      • University of Pittsburgh /University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC)

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Meets DSM-IV Criteria for Bipolar Disorder, Type II, currently depressed;
2. HRSD-25 ≥15
3. Age 18-65 years;
4. Able to give informed consent;
5. Women of child bearing potential will be included if they agree to use adequate contraception for the duration of the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Not competent to give informed consent in the opinion of the investigator (e.g., psychotic at time of evaluation);
2. Unwilling or unable to comply with study requirements;
3. Meets DSM-IV criteria for borderline personality disorder or antisocial personality disorder;
4. Active substance abuse within the past 6 months(episodic abuse related to mood episodes will not exclude a subject);
5. Currently a high suicide risk, as assessed by an active plan and intent to behave in a way that risks ending ones life;
6. Non-English speaking;
7. Significant, unstable, medical illness that might confound symptom scores or preclude treatment with pharmacotherapy
8. Currently applying for disability because of psychiatric illness (we have found that these individuals have a vested interested in appearing to remain ill which potentially confounds outcome scores).
9. Women who are pregnant, lactating or plan to become pregnant during their study participation.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Psychotherapy; Subjects randomized to the Psychotherapy arm will receive Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT-BPII)	Behavioral: Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT-BPII); IPSRT is comprised of three components: psychoeducation, social rhythm therapy, and standard IPT as developed for unipolar depression. Psychoeducation focuses on a) the illness and its consequences, b) treatment options and associated side effects, and c) prodromal symptoms/detection of early warning symptoms.; Other Names: IPSRT
Experimental: Medication; Subjects randomized to the medication arm will receive the FDA approved medication Seroquel (quetiapine)	Drug: Seroquel; Subjects will be started at 100 mg/day titrated to a maximum of 800 mg /day Day 1-BID doses totaling 100 mg/day, increased to 400 mg/day on Day 4 in increments of up to 100 mg/day in BID divided doses, by Day 6 begin titration up to a maximum dose of 800 mg/day in increments no greater than 200 mg/day. This titration schedule may be adjusted based on the subject's response and ability to tolerate Seroquel. Subjects who are unable to tolerate the study medications, or for whom the study medications are an inappropriate clinical choice, will be treated openly by a clinic physician according to the standard of care guidelines designated by the American Psychiatric Association (2002) for the treatment of bipolar disorder.; Other Names: Quetiapine

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of Participants With Greater Than or Equal to 50% Reduction in Depression Scores, With a Mania Score Less Than or Equal to 10	Overall response rates (defined as greater than or equal to 50% reduction in depression scores without an increase in mania scores) were 29% (n=4) in the IPSRT group and 27% (n=3) in the quetiapine group. HRSD-25 scores are based on first 17 responses. Eight items are scored on a 5-pt scale, from 0 (not present) to 4 (severe.) Other nine items on the assessment are scored from 0-2. The higher the score on the HRSD-25, the worse the outcome is considered to be. A score of 0-7 is considered to be normal; 8-13 indicates mild depression, 14-18 indicates moderate depression, 19-22 indicates severe depression, and any score greater than or equal to 23 indicates very severe depression. The YMRS is an 11 point assessment. There are 4 items assessed on a scale ranging from 0 to 8 and the other 7 items are graded on a 0 to 4 scale. As with the HRSD, the higher the score on the YMRS indicates the presence of more or more severe manic symptoms and is associated with a worse outcome.	Week 12

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Quality of Life (QOL) Collected Using the Q-LES-Q (Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire-Short Form)	The total score is derived by summing item scores 1 to 14. Higher scores are indicative of greater enjoyment or satisfaction in each domain. The Q-LES-Q-SF % maximum total score is calculated as 100% × (Q-LES-Q-SF total score - 14) / 56, and can range from 0% to 100%.	Baseline and Week 12
Descriptive Measures of the Feasibility of IPSRT-BPII	Feasibility was assessed by ability to enroll, randomize, and retain participants in this trial. Completion of the study was used as evidence of feasibility.	Week 12
Number of Participants With a Response	Number of participants with response defined as an average of 50% (or greater) reduction in the subject's baseline HRSD-25 score over three consecutive weeks and a current YMRS score ≤ 10	Week 12

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Pittsburgh
• Collaborators: National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Holly Swartz, M.D., University of Pittsburgh

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Swartz HA, Frank E, Cheng Y. A randomized pilot study of psychotherapy and quetiapine for the acute treatment of bipolar II depression. Bipolar Disord. 2012 Mar;14(2):211-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-5618.2012.00988.x.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: December 1, 2006
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 1, 2010
• Study Completion (Actual): September 1, 2010

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 12, 2006
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 13, 2006
• First Posted (Estimate): December 14, 2006

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 30, 2017
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 21, 2017
• Last Verified: April 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Depression; Bipolar Disorder; Seroquel; Interpersonal Therapy; Social Rhythm Therapy
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Depression; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Central Nervous System Depressants; Antipsychotic Agents; Tranquilizing Agents; Psychotropic Drugs; Antidepressive Agents; Quetiapine Fumarate
• Other Study ID Numbers: 0608080

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No