Mindfulness-based Psychotherapy for Drug-resistant Epilepsy

February 10, 2014 updated by: Venus Tang, Chinese University of Hong Kong

Mindfulness-based Psychotherapy and Social Support Intervention for Drug-resistant Epilepsy

Psychological problems are prevalent among patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. The bi-directional interaction between psychological well-being and seizure have been recognized in recent years. Reduction of psychological stress has the potential to improve seizure manifestation.

The present study uses an assessor-blinded prospective randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of a mindfulness-based psychotherapy and an attentional-placebo social support on improving psychological well-being, seizure control and cognitive performance among adult patients with drug-resistant epilepsy.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

60

Phase

  • 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

  • Hong Kong
      • Hong Kong, Hong Kong
        • CUHK Division of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine

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:

  • a diagnosis of epilepsy
  • over 18 years of age
  • resistant to pharmacological treatment according to the ILAE guideline
  • no previous history of neurosurgery
  • adequate level of reading and understanding ability to fill in questionnaires
  • capable to communicate with the investigator with considerable expressive capacity
  • patients who agree to cooperate with the study procedures required by the protocol
  • patients who understand the nature of the study, agree to participate and sign the informed consent form

Exclusion Criteria:

  • with primary diagnosis of substance use disorder, mood disorder, bipolar affective disorder, psychosis, or organic mental disorder
  • with diagnosis of learning disability or mental retardation

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
Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: Social support group
Social support group is an attention-placebo with the same contact hours (four bi-weekly two-and-a-half-hour) as the experimental group, but without active treatment input. The aim of the social support group is to provide a supportive group atmosphere for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy.
Behavioral: Social support group
Social support group is an attention-placebo with the same contact hours (four bi-weekly two-and-a-half-hour) as the experimental group, but without active treatment input. The aim of the social support group is to provide a supportive group atmosphere for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy.
Experimental: Mindfulness-based therapy
Mindfulness-based therapy is a four biweekly two-and-a-half-hour psychotherapy tailored for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. The aims of this therapy are to introduce and practice mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques in coping with drug-resistant epilepsy.
Behavioral: Mindfulness-based therapy
Mindfulness-based therapy is a four biweekly two-and-a-half-hour psychotherapy tailored for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. The aims of this therapy are to introduce and practice mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques in coping with drug-resistant epilepsy.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Change in quality of life (Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory-31-P Total Score) from baseline to post-intervention
Time Frame: Baseline, 4-week post-intervention
Baseline, 4-week post-intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Chinese University of Hong Kong

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Venus Tang, PhD, Division of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, CUHK

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, 2011

Primary Completion (Actual)

January 1, 2013

Study Completion (Actual)

July 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 10, 2014

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 10, 2014

First Posted (Estimate)

February 12, 2014

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

February 12, 2014

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 10, 2014

Last Verified

February 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • VP-2011
  • CRE-2011.167-T (Other Identifier: CUHK)

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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