Integrated Treatment for Comorbid Depression and Obesity in Adolescents

July 28, 2014 updated by: Anthony Spirito, Brown University
Lifetime prevalence of major depression is estimated at 28% by age 18 (Lewinsohn et al., 1999), with higher cumulative rates in females (35%) than males (19%). Approximately 17% of children and adolescents in the United States are obese as defined by a BMI above the 95th percentile, with more than 30% falling between the 85th and 95th percentiles (Ogden et al., 2008). Overweight children and adolescents are at increased risk for type 2 diabetes (Pinhas-Hamiel et al., 1996) and overwhelming risk for adult obesity (Guo et al., 1994). There is a substantial percentage of adolescents who are both overweight and depressed with estimates from clinical samples averaging 25%. Treatment of teens with comorbid medical and psychiatric conditions such as overweight/obesity and depression has received little to no attention in the psychosocial treatment research literature. Due to the large number of adolescents who are both depressed and overweight, developing a behavioral treatment that addresses both problems simultaneously has important public health significance. The purpose of this proposal is to combine treatments for depression and overweight to address these co-occurring conditions in one intervention. The long-term objectives of this research are to develop efficient and effective treatments for co-occurring physical and emotional disorders. The research program will be divided into 3 major phases: a development phase (Stage 1a), a pilot study phase (Stage 1b), and a revision phase. During the development phase (Stage 1a), a treatment for overweight teens and CBT treatment for depressed teens will be adapted into one integrated protocol that addresses depression using CBT techniques, an exercise component, and advice regarding healthy eating. As part of this phase, we will adapt existing intervention manuals and therapist training materials, and gain some initial clinical experience with the intervention via an open trial with 6 teens. During the randomized pilot study phase (Stage 1b), the integrated intervention will be compared to a control group receiving CBT treatment for depression alone (N=40 in total). During the pilot phase, the feasibility and acceptability of administering the program will be assessed. In addition, we will compare change in depressed mood at end of treatment and 6 month follow-up periods across the two groups. During the revision phase, the intervention manual will be further developed and refined, based on experiences and observations made during the development and pilot study phases.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

36

Phase

  • Phase 1

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
    • Rhode Island
      • Providence, Rhode Island, United States, 02912
        • Brown University

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

12 years to 18 years (ADULT, CHILD)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Adolescents must: 1) be between the ages of 12 and 18 years (18 year olds must still be in high school and living at home); 2) be at or above the 85th percentile with reference to age and gender-specific Body Mass Index (BMI); 3) have at least one parent available to participate in the treatment protocol; 4) speak English; 5) agree to study participation and random assignment; and 6) be available for follow-up. In order to meet the depressed mood criterion, adolescents must have a primary diagnosis of major depressive disorder (single or recurrent), based on the KSADS-PL with a CGI-Severity ≥ 3 for depression and CDRS ≥ 36. Participants must be healthy, as established by their primary care physician, in order to participate in the exercise program -

Exclusion Criteria:

Adolescents will be excluded if: 1) they are currently receiving psychotherapy or participating in another weight loss program (only can have been in a weight loss program in the past); 2) they have a medical condition that would interfere with the prescribed dietary plan or participation in physical activity; 3) they are developmentally delayed such that the intervention materials will not be appropriate; 4) they are actively suicidal at intake; 5) they have not been on a stable dose of a psychostimulant for 6 months to ensure that a recently prescribed psychostimulant is not contributing to weight loss; 6) teens on an SSRI will not be allowed to participate due to potential effects of medication on weight loss; 7) they have a substance abuse or dependence diagnosis; or 8) they have failed a medication or psychotherapy trial for depression in the past.

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
  • Masking: SINGLE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
EXPERIMENTAL: CBT for depression and healthy lifestyle plus exercise
CBT treatment for depressed teens will be adapted into one integrated protocol that addresses depression using CBT techniques, an exercise component, and advice regarding healthy eating.
Behavioral: CBT for depression and healthy lifestyle plus exercise
CBT treatment for depressed teens will be adapted into one integrated protocol that addresses depression using CBT techniques, an exercise component, and advice regarding healthy eating.
ACTIVE_COMPARATOR: CBT for depression
CBT for depression only
Behavioral: CBT for depression
Standard CBT treatment for depressed teens that addresses depression using CBT techniques only

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
depressed mood
Time Frame: baseline, posttreatment , 6 month follow-up
baseline, posttreatment , 6 month follow-up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
weight
Time Frame: baseline, posttreatment, 6 month foll-up
baseline, posttreatment, 6 month foll-up

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Brown University

Collaborators

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Elissa Jelalian, PhD, Brown University

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

December 1, 2009

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

December 1, 2013

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

December 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 21, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 21, 2010

First Posted (ESTIMATE)

May 24, 2010

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ESTIMATE)

July 29, 2014

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 28, 2014

Last Verified

July 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • R34MH083092 (NIH)

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.

Clinical Trials on Depression

Clinical Trials on CBT for depression and healthy lifestyle plus exercise

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Trinidad & Tobago

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

3
Subscribe