Treating Emotional Disorders in Primary Care With Psychological Techniques (PsychPC)

A Pilot Study to Treat Emotional Disorders in Primary Care With Evidence-based Psychological Techniques: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The strong demand for primary care (PC) services in Spain exceeds resources. Part of this demand is due to the increasing number of anxiety, depression, and somatization disorders that affect the general population. These disorders, commonly known as emotional disorders, are very common in Spanish PC settings, they are poorly detected by physicians, rarely receive adequate treatment (if they receive treatment it is mostly drugs instead of psychological treatment), they generate a highly frequent use of PC services, a greater burden than physical diseases and tend to become chronic without treatment.

Other countries have successfully put psychological techniques in PC into practice (in the United Kingdom the program known as "Improving Access to Psychological Therapies" has obtained very positive results) in order to correctly diagnose and treat emotional disorders. The results obtained in terms of symptoms, quality of life, diagnosis, etc., have been better than the usual treatment offered in PC services, involving no side effects, fewer relapses, and lower costs in the long term.

The general aim of this study is to test how well a psychological treatment program for anxiety, depression, and somatization disorders works in PC and to compare the results obtained after seven 90-minute group sessions (every to two to four weeks approximately, for a period of 24 weeks) with the usual treatment offered in Spanish PC services. Similar results to the ones already obtained in other countries are expected to be found.

Approximately 1130 adults, regardless of their age and sex, with an anxiety, depression and/or somatization disorder (diagnosed with a simple and short questionnaire) will participate in this study.

Participation will be voluntary and confidentiality will be guaranteed. Half of the participants in the study will be randomly assigned to receive their usual care and the other half will receive psychological treatment, within the same health care centre. Since it is a "double-blind" study, neither the health professional nor the patient will know which treatment will be applied. Psychological assessments will be carried out before and after receiving treatment and participants will be followed up at 3, 6 and 12 months.

Participation will pose no risks different from the typically present when receiving usual treatment. The aim of this study will be to maximize benefits and reduce potential harms (principle of proportionality).

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Mood Disorders; Anxiety Disorders; Somatization Disorder; Pain Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Cognitive Behavioral Treatment; Drug: Primary Care Treatment As Usual

Detailed Description

Secondary objectives:

• The experimental in comparison with the control group will report a greater decrease (including pre-post-treatment differences and follow-up at 3, 6 and 12 months) in emotional symptoms (total scores of anxiety, depressive and somatic symptoms as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire), cognitive factors, and percentage of cases with probable emotional disorders (anxiety, depression, and somatization disorders).
• The experimental in comparison with the control group will report a decrease in its levels of work, family and social impairment (Sheehan Disability Scale), and an increase in its levels of physical health, psychological, social, and environmental quality of life (as measured by the different World Health Organization Quality of Life; WHOQOL-BREF scales).
• The experimental group in comparison with the control group will reduce the frequency of Primary Care visits (as well as other health care costs) at 6 month follow-up.
• In addition, the experimental group will report higher treatment satisfaction than the control group.

The following variables will be assessed:

• Clinical symptoms (anxiety, depression, somatizations), levels of adjustment (work, family, social),
• Quality of life (physical health, psychological, social, environmental),
• Emotional symptoms and thoughts (worries, beliefs, coping strategies, negative thoughts, etc.),
• Treatment satisfaction
• Frequent use of services
• Psychoactive drug use.

Patient recruitment

Inclusion criteria:

• Any adult patient seeking Primary Care treatment at any of the selected sites in Spain with a probable anxiety, mood and/or somatisation disorder (diagnosed with the Patient Health Questionnaire; PHQ-9) may voluntarily participate in the study regardless of his/her age and sex.

Exclusion criteria:

• Patients with severe mental disorders (e.g., bipolar disorder, personality disorder)
• Patients with a history of frequent or recent suicide attempt(s)
• Patients with a high level of disability (as measured by the Sheehan Disability Scale) who seek Primary Care treatment.
• Patients with severe anxiety disorders (e.g., comorbid substance use disorders) and severe mood disorders (Patient Health Questionnaire; PHQ-9 total score >= 20).
• Patients who do not meet diagnostic criteria for a probable emotional disorder or do not reach the established Patient Health Questionnaire cut-off points.

The minimum sample size required to obtain a significant result has been calculated with the Sample-Power SPSS program. The study should include 563 patients in each condition, with a total of 1126 patients, accounting for a 20% attrition or dropout. With this sample size, the result will be statistically significant (85% statistical power) when comparing both groups, even if they differ by one point only, with a standard deviation of 5, a range of scores from 0-27 for the PHQ-9, and it will enable us to conclude that the result is different for each group with a 95% confidence level.

Both groups will be equivalent in all measures before receiving treatment. 2x2 within and between-groups analyses of variance (group x treatment) will be conducted for each dependent variable. The effect size for each dependent variable will be calculated in both groups, as well as the 95% confidence interval, taking into account the number of treatment sessions. Primary analyses will follow the "intention-to-treat" principle in such a way that all individuals who participate in the study will be considered as members of one group even if they have not yet completed the protocol. "Therapeutic success" will be obtained if the average scores of the experimental group are significantly lower than those of the control group in the dependent variables (anxiety, depression, and somatization symptoms), and when the effect sizes are medium to large and significantly higher than those of the control group (especially in the case of anxiety symptoms). In addition, the results obtained by each group in terms of degree of disability (work, family and social), quality of life, treatment satisfaction, costs and cost-efficiency of both treatments will be compared.

It will be carried out in twenty five Primary Care (PC) centres in Madrid, Valencia, Albacete, Mallorca, Murcia, Vizcaya, Cordoba, Galicia, and Cantabria, and may be extended to other centres and cities.

It is expected to start in September 2013 and posttreatment will end by December 2018. The study will be open to participants until recruitment is completed. The follow-up period will end by September 2019.

Psicofundación (Spanish Foundation for the Promotion, Scientific and Professional Development of Psychology) and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness are funding this three-year project.

The main contact is Dr. Antonio Cano-Vindel, professor at the Faculty of Psychology of Complutense University of Madrid. E-mail: canovindel@psi.ucm.es. Telephone: (34)607705740.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 1126
• Phase: Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Spain
  • Madrid, Spain, 28223
    • Complutense University of Madrid

Participation Criteria

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:

• Any adult patient seeking Primary Care treatment at any of the selected sites in Spain with a probable anxiety, mood and/or somatisation disorder (diagnosed with the Patient Health Questionnaire) may voluntarily participate in the study regardless of his/her age and sex.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with severe mental disorders (e.g., bipolar disorder, personality disorder)
• Patients with a history of frequent or recent suicide attempt(s)
• Patients with a high level of disability (as measured by the Sheehan Disability Scale) who seek Primary Care treatment.
• Patients with severe anxiety disorders (e.g., comorbid substance use disorders) and severe mood disorders (Patient Health Questionnaire; PHQ-9 total score >= 20).
• Patients who do not meet diagnostic criteria for a probable emotional disorder or do not reach the established PHQ cut-off points.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Cognitive Behavioral Treatment (CBT); Cognitive Behavioral Treatment. Seven 90-minute sessions of group treatment along 24 weeks.	Behavioral: Cognitive Behavioral Treatment; Seven ninety-minute sessions of evidence-based psychological techniques designed to treat anxiety, depression and somatization disorders during a period of 24 weeks.; Other Names: CBT (Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment)
Active Comparator: Treatment-As-Usual (TAU); Primary Care Treatment As Usual	Drug: Primary Care Treatment As Usual; Usual treatment offered in Primary Care Services: depending on the diagnoses, patients will be prescribed different medications until symptoms disappear.; Other Names: Antidepressants, antianxiety, sleep and pain medication.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Anxiety symptoms after psychological treatment versus Primary Care usual treatment.	Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders -Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) clinical symptoms of anxiety (total frequency scores in anxiety as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire) as reported by patients after receiving psychological treatment or usual treatment.	Up to two years
Depressive symptoms after psychological treatment versus Primary Care usual treatment.	Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders -Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) clinical symptoms of depression (total frequency scores in depression as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire) as reported by patients after receiving psychological treatment or usual treatment.	Up to two years.
Somatic symptoms after psychological treatment versus Primary Care usual treatment.	Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders -Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) somatic symptoms (total frequency scores in somatic symptoms as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire) as reported by patients after receiving psychological treatment or usual treatment.	Up to two years.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Cognitive factors after psychological treatment versus Primary Care usual treatment.	Pre-post treatment differences at post treatment and at 3, 6 and 12 month follow-up in cognitive tests scores (composite score designed to assess ruminative processes, pathological worry, attentional and interpretive biases, emotion regulation strategies and metacognitive beliefs) as reported by patients after receiving psychological treatment or usual treatment.	Up to two years
Level of impairment after psychological treatment versus Primary Care usual treatment.	Pre-post treatment differences at post treatment and at 3, 6 and 12 month follow-up in work, family and social impairment (as measured by the Sheehan Disability Scale) as reported by patients after receiving psychological treatment or usual treatment.	Up to two years
Quality of life after psychological treatment versus Primary Care usual treatment.	Pre-post treatment differences at post treatment and at 3, 6 and 12 month follow-up in physical health, psychological, social, and environmental quality of life (as measured by the different World Health Organization Quality of Life; WHOQOL-BREF scales) as reported by patients after receiving psychological treatment or usual treatment.	Up to two years
Frequency of primary care visits after psychological treatment versus Primary Care usual treatment.	Frequency of primary care visits after psychological treatment versus Primary Care usual treatment.	Up to 18 months

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Treatment satisfaction	Treatment satisfaction after receiving psychological treatment versus treatment as usual.	Up to 18 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Psicofundación: Fundación Española para Promoción, Desarrollo Científico y Profesional de la Psicolo
• Collaborators: Ministry of Health, Spain
• Investigators: Study Director: Antonio R Cano-Vindel, Professor, Complutense University of Madrid

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Cano-Vindel A. Los desórdenes emocionales en Atención Primaria [Emotional Disorders in Primary Care]. Ansiedad y Estrés 2011;17(1):73-95.
• Cano-Vindel A; Wood CM; Dongil E; Latorre JM. El trastorno de pánico en Atención Primaria [Panic disorder in Primary Care]. Papeles del Psicólogo 2011;32(3):3-13.
• Cano-Vindel A. Bases teóricas y apoyo empírico de la intervención psicológica sobre los desórdenes emocionales en Atención Primaria. Una actualización [Theoretical and empirical evidence supporting a psychological intervention for emotional disorders in Primary Care. An update]. Ansiedad y Estrés 2011;17(2-3):157-184.
• Cano-Vindel A; Dongil-Collado E; Salguero JM; Wood CM. Intervención cognitivo-conductual en los trastornos de ansiedad: una actualización [Cognitive-behavioral treatment for anxiety disorders: an update]. Informació Psicològica 2011;102:4-27.

Helpful Links

• Spanish Society for the Investigation of Anxiety and Stress

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 14, 2014
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 30, 2018
• Study Completion (Actual): July 30, 2019

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 2, 2013
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 16, 2013
• First Posted (Estimate): July 19, 2013

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 10, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 7, 2020
• Last Verified: March 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Panic disorder; Dysthymia; Major depressive disorder; Social phobia; Generalized anxiety disorder; Specific phobia; Somatizations disorder; Pain disorder
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Pathologic Processes; Disease; Anxiety Disorders; Somatoform Disorders; Mood Disorders; Psychotropic Drugs; Antidepressive Agents
• Other Study ID Numbers: AP105162012; 2013-001955-11 (EudraCT Number)