Treating depression and substance use: a randomized controlled trial

The influence of therapy quality on outcomes from behavioural activation and guided self-help treatments for depression in adults with intellectual disabilities

OBJECTIVES

We report the effect of quality of therapy delivery on outcomes in a randomized, controlled trial of behavioural activation (BA) and guided self-help (GSH) for depression in adults with intellectual disabilities.

METHODS

A study specific measure of quality was used in a linear mixed effect model to determine the effects therapy and therapy quality on therapy outcome.

RESULTS

There was a significant interaction between quality and treatment type, with lower quality therapy associated with better outcome for GSH but poorer outcome for BA, with little difference in outcomes at higher levels of therapy quality.

CONCLUSIONS

Factors suggesting high quality in individualized BA may indicate problematic engagement for GSH. More research into processes in therapy for people with intellectual disabilities is required.

Resilience and relapse risk in Emirate adult patients with substance use disorder: a national cross-sectional study from the United Arab Emirates

Introduction

The United Arab Emirates is among the countries affected by substance use disorders (SUDs), which have economic and social impacts. Relapse after successful rehabilitation is a major issue in the treatment of SUD. Several factors increase the risk of relapse in patients with SUD, such as craving and negative social experiences. Resilience could empower patients struggling with SUD. This study aims to explore levels of resilience and relapse risk in adult Emirati patients diagnosed with SUD, and also the possible correlation between the two variables.

Methods

Two hundred eighty-six Emirati adult patients with SUD completed a self-administered questionnaire for demographics, resilience (Connor and Davidson Resilience Scale), and relapse risk (Stimulant Relapse Risk Scale). Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, SD, etc.) were used to describe study participants and variables. Inferential statistics were used to analyze the relationships, associations, and correlations between resilience and relapse risk, the main variables, and the participants demographics.

Result

Participants' mean total score for resilience was 72.92 out of a maximum possible score of 100 (SD = 16.99), while their mean total score for relapse risk was 59.07 out of a maximum possible score of 105 (SD = 12.23). Furthermore, examining the correlation between the resilience subscales and the relapse risk subscales revealed similar significant, negative, low-to-moderate correlations between all the subscales (r = -0.486).

Discussion

Protective and risk factors to enhance resilience and reduce relapse risk in patients with SUD were discussed.

Individual Prediction of Optimal Treatment Allocation Between Electroconvulsive Therapy or Ketamine using the Personalized Advantage Index

Introduction

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and ketamine are two effective treatments for depression with similar efficacy; however, individual patient outcomes may be improved by models that predict optimal treatment assignment. Here, we adapt the Personalized Advantage Index (PAI) algorithm using machine learning to predict optimal treatment assignment between ECT and ketamine using medical record data from a large, naturalistic patient cohort. We hypothesized that patients who received a treatment predicted to be optimal would have significantly better outcomes following treatment compared to those who received a non-optimal treatment.

Methods

Data on 2526 ECT and 235 mixed IV ketamine and esketamine patients from McLean Hospital was aggregated. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS) before and during acute treatment. Patients were matched between treatments on pretreatment QIDS, age, inpatient status, and psychotic symptoms using a 1:1 ratio yielding a sample of 470 patients (n=235 per treatment). Random forest models were trained and predicted differential patientwise minimum QIDS scores achieved during acute treatment (min-QIDS) scores for ECT and ketamine using pretreatment patient measures. Analysis of Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) values identified predictors of differential outcomes between treatments.

Results

Twenty-seven percent of patients with the largest PAI scores who received a treatment predicted optimal had significantly lower min-QIDS scores compared to those who received a non-optimal treatment (mean difference=1.6, t=2.38, q<0.05, Cohen's D=0.36). Analysis of SHAP values identified prescriptive pretreatment measures.

Conclusions

Patients assigned to a treatment predicted to be optimal had significantly better treatment outcomes. Our model identified pretreatment patient factors captured in medical records that can provide interpretable and actionable guidelines treatment selection.

Psychological treatment of depression with other comorbid mental disorders: systematic review and meta-analysis

Most people with a mental disorder meet criteria for multiple disorders. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials comparing psychotherapies for people with depression and comorbid other mental disorders with non-active control conditions. We identified studies through an existing database of randomized trials on psychotherapies for depression. Thirty-five trials (3,157 patients) met inclusion criteria. Twenty-seven of the 41 interventions in the 35 trials (66%) were based on CBT. The overall effect on depression was large (g = 0.65; 95% CI: 0.40 ~ 0.90), with high heterogeneity (I² = 78%; 95% CI: 70 ~ 83). The ten studies in comorbid anxiety showed large effects on depression (g = 0.90; 95% CI: 0.30 ~ 1.51) and anxiety (g = 1.01; 95% CI: 0.28 ~ 1.74). For comorbid insomnia (11 comparisons) a large and significant effect on depression (g = 0.99; 95% CI: 0.16 ~ 1.82) and insomnia (g = 1.38; 95% CI: 0.38 ~ 2.38) were found. For comorbid substance use problems (12 comparisons) effects on depression (g = 0.25; 95% CI: 0.06 ~ 0.43) and on substance use problems (g = 0.25; 95% CI: 0.01 ~ 0.50) were significant. Most effects were no longer significant after adjustment for publication bias and when limited to studies with low risk of bias. Therapies are probably effective in the treatment of depression with comorbid anxiety, insomnia, and substance use problems.

Psychiatric Comorbidities of Substance Use Disorders: Does Dual Diagnosis Predict Inpatient Detoxification Treatment Outcomes?

Comorbidity of substance use and psychiatric disorders, particularly depressive disorders, are well established. The impact of comorbidity on treatment outcomes, particularly following short-term inpatient detoxification and medical management units, has yet to be fully explored. This study reviewed 456 records of patients voluntarily presenting for medical management of substance misuse in Sydney, Australia. Documented psychiatric comorbidities and primary substance of misuse were extracted and used to predict length of stay, discharge against medical advice and number of readmissions. Our results showed that psychiatric comorbidity did not significantly predict treatment outcomes, although depression was reported in more than half our cohort, along with elevated rates of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety disorders and bipolar affective disorders. Medication non-compliance and primary substance of misuse significantly predicted length of stay and discharge against medical advice. Further research into how specific substances interact and affect specific psychiatric disorders is needed to guide optimal treatment options.

Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions Targeting Alcohol or Other Drug Use and Co-Occurring Mental Health Disorders: A Meta-Analysis

AIMS

This meta-analysis reviewed 15 clinical trials (18 study sites/arms), examining the efficacy of an integrated cognitive-behavioral intervention (CBI) delivered to individuals with an alcohol or other drug use disorder and a co-occurring mental health disorder (AOD/MHD). Outcomes were alcohol or other drug use and mental health symptoms at post-treatment through follow-up.

METHODS

The inverse-variance weighted effect size was calculated for each study and pooled under random effects assumptions.

RESULTS

Integrated CBI showed a small effect size for AOD (g = 0.188, P = 0.061; I2 = 86%, τ2 = 0.126, k = 18) and MHD (g = 0.169, P = 0.024; I2 = 58%, τ2 = 0.052, k = 18) outcomes, although only MHD outcomes were statistically significant. Analysis by subgroup suggested that effect magnitude varied by type of contrast condition (integrated CBI + usual care vs. usual care only; integrated CBI vs. a single-disorder intervention), follow-up time point (post-treatment vs. 3-6 months) and primary AOD/MHD diagnosis, although these sub-groups often contained significant residual heterogeneity. In a series of mixed effects, meta-regression models, demographic factors were non-significant predictors of between-study heterogeneity. For AOD outcomes, greater effects were observed in higher quality studies, but study quality was not related to effect size variability for MHD outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

The current meta-analysis shows a small and variable effect for integrated CBI with the most promising effect sizes observed for integrated CBI compared with a single disorder intervention (typically an AOD-only intervention) for follow-up outcomes, and for interventions targeting alcohol use and/or post-traumatic stress disorder. Given the clinical and methodological variability within the sample, results should be considered a preliminary, but important step forward in our understanding of treatment for co-occurring AOD/MHD.

Appropriate analyses of bimodal substance use frequency outcomes: a mixture model approach

Background: In addiction research, outcome measures are often characterized by bimodal distributions. One mode can be for individuals with low substance use and the other mode for individuals with high substance use. Applying standard statistical procedures to bimodal data may result in invalid inference. Mixture models are appropriate for bimodal data because they assume that the sampled population is composed of several underlying subpopulations.Objectives: To introduce a novel mixture modeling approach to analyze bimodal substance use frequency data.Methods: We reviewed existing models used to analyze substance use frequency outcomes and developed multiple alternative variants of a finite mixture model. We applied all methods to data from a randomized controlled study in which 30-day alcohol abstinence was the primary outcome. Study data included 73 individuals (38 men and 35 women). Models were implemented in the software packages SAS, Stata, and Stan.Results: Shortcomings of existing approaches include: 1) inability to model outcomes with multiple modes, 2) invalid statistical inferences, including anti-conservative p-values, 3) sensitivity of results to the arbitrary choice to model days of substance use versus days of substance abstention, and 4) generation of predictions outside the range of common substance use frequency outcomes. Our mixture model variants avoided all of these shortcomings.Conclusions: Standard models of substance use frequency outcomes can be problematic, sometimes overstating treatment effectiveness. The mixture models developed improve the analysis of bimodal substance use frequency.

Behavioural activation versus guided self-help for depression in adults with learning disabilities: the BeatIt RCT

BACKGROUND

Depression is the most prevalent mental health problem among people with learning disabilities.

OBJECTIVE

The trial investigated the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of behavioural activation for depression experienced by people with mild to moderate learning disabilities. The intervention was compared with a guided self-help intervention.

DESIGN

A multicentre, single-blind, randomised controlled trial, with follow-up at 4, 8 and 12 months post randomisation. There was a nested qualitative study.

SETTING

Participants were recruited from community learning disability teams and services and from Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services in Scotland, England and Wales.

PARTICIPANTS

Participants were aged ≥ 18 years, with clinically significant depression, assessed using the Diagnostic Criteria for Psychiatric Disorders for use with Adults with Learning Disabilities. Participants had to be able to give informed consent and a supporter could accompany them to therapy.

INTERVENTIONS

BeatIt was a manualised behavioural activation intervention, adapted for people with learning disabilities and depression. StepUp was an adapted guided self-help intervention.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary outcome measure was the Glasgow Depression Scale for people with a Learning Disability (GDS-LD). Secondary outcomes included carer ratings of depressive symptoms and aggressiveness, self-reporting of anxiety symptoms, social support, activity and adaptive behaviour, relationships, quality of life (QoL) and life events, and resource and medication use.

RESULTS

There were 161 participants randomised (BeatIt, n = 84; StepUp, n = 77). Participant retention was strong, with 141 completing the trial. Most completed therapy (BeatIt: 86%; StepUp: 82%). At baseline, 63% of BeatIt participants and 66% of StepUp participants were prescribed antidepressants. There was no statistically significant difference in GDS-LD scores between the StepUp (12.94 points) and BeatIt (11.91 points) groups at the 12-month primary outcome point. However, both groups improved during the trial. Other psychological and QoL outcomes followed a similar pattern. There were no treatment group differences, but there was improvement in both groups. There was no economic evidence suggesting that BeatIt may be more cost-effective than StepUp. However, treatment costs for both groups were approximately only 4-6.5% of the total support costs. Results of the qualitative research with participants, supporters and therapists were in concert with the quantitative findings. Both treatments were perceived as active interventions and were valued in terms of their structure, content and perceived impact.

LIMITATIONS

A significant limitation was the absence of a treatment-as-usual (TAU) comparison.

CONCLUSIONS

Primary and secondary outcomes, economic data and qualitative results all clearly demonstrate that there was no evidence for BeatIt being more effective than StepUp.

FUTURE WORK

Comparisons against TAU are required to determine whether or not these interventions had any effect.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN09753005.

FUNDING

This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 22, No. 53. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Group treatment for substance use disorder in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

From residential programs to outpatient services, group therapy permeates the clinical field of substance misuse. While several group interventions for substance use disorders (SUDs) have demonstrated effectiveness, the existing evidence on group therapy has not been systematically reviewed. The current meta-analysis aims to provide estimates of the efficacy of group therapy for SUDs in adults using rigorous methods.

METHODS

We included studies comparing group psychotherapy to no treatment control groups, individual psychotherapy, medication, self-help groups, and other active treatments applying no specific psychotherapeutic techniques for patients with substance use disorder. The primary outcome was abstinence, and the secondary outcomes were frequency of substance use and symptoms of substance use disorder, anxiety, depression, general psychopathology, and attrition. A comprehensive search was conducted in Medline, Web of Science, CENTRAL, and PsycINFO, complemented by a manual search. Random-effects meta-analyses were run separately for different types of control groups.

RESULTS

Thirty-three studies were included. Significant small effects of group therapy were found on abstinence compared to no treatment, individual therapy, and other treatments. Effects on substance use frequency and SUD symptoms were not significant, but significant moderately sized effects emerged for mental state when group therapy was compared to no treatment. There were no differences in abstinence rates between group therapy and control groups. These results were robust in sensitivity analyses and there was no indication of publication bias.

CONCLUSIONS

The current findings represent the best available summary analysis of group therapy for SUDs in adults, however cautious interpretation is warranted given the limitations of the available data.

Randomized controlled trial of telephone monitoring with psychiatry inpatients with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders

Background Psychiatry inpatients frequently have co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders, which are related to poor post-discharge outcomes. Telephone monitoring is effective in specialty substance use disorder treatment settings in increasing continuing care and 12-step program utilization and improving substance use outcomes. This study examined the effectiveness of telephone monitoring among psychiatry inpatients with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders. Methods This randomized controlled trial (n = 406) compared usual care to usual care plus telephone monitoring (one in-person session during the inpatient stay, followed by weekly telephone contact for three months post-discharge). Follow-ups were conducted at end-of-intervention (three months post-baseline) and nine and 15 months post-baseline (73% followed). Primary outcomes were number of days out of the past 30 of drinking alcohol, using drugs, and experiencing psychological problems. Secondary outcomes were outpatient substance use treatment, and 12-step group, utilization. Results Longitudinal modeling found that patients in both conditions improved over time on each primary outcome. Improvement was comparable between conditions on alcohol and drug use and psychological problems. Receipt of outpatient treatment decreased over the follow-up period and was not related to condition. Likelihood of attending 12-step group meetings did not change over follow-ups, and was not related to condition. Conclusions Improvement over time was evident regardless of condition assignment. Patients maintained attendance at 12-step groups from pre- to post-discharge. Short-term telephone monitoring in addition to usual care for patients with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders may not be sufficiently intensive to achieve additional improvements on outcomes.

Bayesian models for semicontinuous outcomes in rolling admission therapy groups

Alcohol and other drug abuse are frequently treated in a group therapy setting. If participants are allowed to enroll in therapy on a rolling basis, irregular patterns of participant overlap can induce complex correlations of participant outcomes. Previous work has accounted for common session attendance by modeling random effects for each therapy session, which map to participant outcomes via a multiple membership construction when modeling normally distributed outcome measures. We build on this earlier work by extending the models to semicontinuous outcomes, or outcomes that are a mixture of continuous and discrete distributions. This results in multivariate session effects, for which we allow temporal dependencies of various orders. We illustrate our methods using data from a group-based intervention to treat substance abuse and depression, focusing on the outcome of average number of drinks per day. Alcohol and other drug abuse are frequently treated in a group therapy setting. If 2 clients attend the some of the same sessions, we might expect that-on average-their posttreatment outcomes would be more similar than if they had not attended any sessions together. Hence, if participants are allowed to enroll in therapy on a rolling basis, irregular patterns of session attendance can induce complex relationships between participant outcomes. Statistical methods have been developed previously to account for rolling admission group therapy when the outcomes are normally distributed. In the case of alcohol and other drug use interventions, however, a substantial fraction of participants often report zero use after treatment. We extend previous work to build models that accommodate semicontinuous outcomes, which are a mixture of continuous and discrete distributions, for such situations. We find that modern Bayesian statistical methods and software allow users to efficiently estimate nonstandard models such as these. We illustrate our methods using data from a group-based intervention to treat substance abuse and depression, focusing on the outcome of average number of drinks per day. We find that the intervention is associated with a drop in the probability of any drinking, but find no evidence of a change in the amount of drinking, conditional on some drinking. (PsycINFO Database Record

Outcomes of an integrated care pathway for concurrent major depressive and alcohol use disorders: a multisite prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

In 2013, an Integrated Care Pathway (ICP) for concurrent Major Depressive (MDD) and Alcohol Use (AUD) Disorders was developed at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The ICP was further implemented at 8 other clinical sites across Ontario (the DA VINCI Project) in 2015-2017. The goal of this study was to systematically describe and analyze the main clinical outcomes of the project.

METHODS

Data on a non-randomized cohort of patients receiving ICP-based treatment were collected prospectively at nine clinical sites in a variety of clinical settings.

STATISTICAL METHODS

descriptive statistics, t-test, chi-square, ANOVA, generalized linear models.

RESULTS

Two hundred forty-six patients were enrolled, 58.8% males, mean age was 45.6 years, 170 patients received treatment at academic health centres (AHC), 49 - at community hospitals (CH) and 27 - in family health teams (FHT). There were no major differences in anamnestic parameters and depression severity between the three settings, but there were differences in baseline drinking patterns between subgroups (F = 4.271, df = 2, p = 0.015). Overall completion rate was 70.7% with no significant variation between settings (χ² = 3.35, df = 2, p = 0.19). Treatment duration in AHC was the longest, and completion rates were the highest. There was a statistically significant and clinically meaningful reduction in the number of drinking days per week (1.81, t = 8.78, p < 0.001). The cohort overall demonstrated significant and meaningful reduction in severity of cravings (Penn Alcohol Craving Scale: 4.42, t = 8.63, p < 0.001) and depressive symptoms (Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology: 4.25, t = 11.26, p < 0.001). While some of the baseline patient characteristics and treatment parameters varied between the settings, the variation in clinical outcomes was mostly insignificant, though clinical improvement was more pronounced in academic setting and with individual therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

The study demonstrated that ICP is a feasible and effective treatment for concurrent AUD and MDD that delivers meaningful clinical improvement in a variety of settings. A randomized controlled study is needed to properly compare the treatment outcomes between ICP model and treatment as usual and to further explore the role of various factors on treatment outcomes.

Major depressive disorder and access to health services among people who use illicit drugs in Vancouver, Canada

BACKGROUND

People who use illicit drugs (PWUD) are commonly diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, little is known about whether PWUD living with MDD experience additional barriers to accessing health services compared to those without MDD. We sought to identify whether MDD symptoms were associated with perceived barriers to accessing health services among people who use illicit drugs (PWUD) in Vancouver, Canada.

METHODS

Data were collected through prospective cohorts of PWUD in Vancouver, Canada between 2005 and 2016. Using multiple logistic regression, we examined the relationship between MDD symptoms, defined as a Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale total score of ≥16, and barriers to access health services. We also used descriptive statistics to examine common barriers among participants who reported any barriers.

RESULTS

Among a total of 1529 PWUD, including 521 (34.1%) females, 415 (27.1%) reported barriers to accessing health services, and 956 (62.5%) reported MDD symptoms at baseline. In multiple logistic regression analyses, after adjusting for a range of potential confounders, MDD symptoms (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.40; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03-1.92) were positively and significantly associated with barriers to accessing health services. Among those who reported MDD symptoms and barriers to access, commonly reported barriers included: long wait lists/times (38.1%); and treated poorly by health care professionals (30.0%).

CONCLUSION

These findings show that the likelihood of experiencing barriers to accessing health services was higher among PWUD with MDD symptoms compared to their counterparts. Policies and interventions tailored to address these barriers are urgently needed for this subpopulation of PWUD.

RCT of an integrated CBT-HIV intervention on depressive symptoms and HIV risk

Depression and depressive symptoms mediate the association between drug use and HIV risk. Yet, there are few interventions that target depressive symptoms and HIV risk for people who use drugs (PWUD). This study was a randomized controlled trial of an integrated cognitive behavioral therapy and HIV prevention intervention to reduce depressive symptoms, injection risk behaviors and increase condom use in a sample of urban people who used heroin or cocaine in the prior 6 months. A total of 315 individuals aged 18–55, who self-reported at least one HIV drug and sex risk behavior and scored ≥16 and <40 on the Centers for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale were randomized using a two-block design, stratified by sex to ensure equivalent numbers, to a 10 session intervention arm (n = 162) or a single session control arm (n = 153). The outcomes of interest were decreases in CES-D score and injection risk behaviors and increases in condom use. The sample was majority African American (85%) and unemployed (94%). Nearly half (47%) reported injection in the prior 6 months and only 19% were taking medication for depression. Follow-up assessments were conducted at 6 and 12 months. Retention at 12 months was 94%. Intervention arm was associated with statistically significantly lower CES-D score at 12 month compared to control. No differences were observed between arms in injection risk. At 6 month, intervention was associated with greater odds of condom use with non-main partner. These findings suggest the potential role of the integrated intervention in reducing depressive symptoms, but weak impact on HIV risk. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov under the title “Neighborhoods, Networks, Depression, and HIV Risk” number NCT01380613.

Integrated care pathway for co-occurring major depressive and alcohol use disorders: Outcomes of the first two years

BACKGROUND

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) are highly prevalent, comorbid, and have significant impact on morbidity, mortality, and socioeconomic burden in Canada. Combined psycho- and pharmacotherapies for both conditions promise better outcomes than treatment as usual (TAU). At the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada, we developed and implemented an Integrated Care Pathway (ICP) specifically for treatment of concurrent MDD and AUD. The goal of the study is to assess the clinical effectiveness of the ICP approach in comparison to TAU.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Non-randomized design, clinical chart review, Chi-square and t-tests, Cohen's d, Linear Mixed Effects Models, Kaplan-Meier, and log-rank analyses.

RESULTS

Eighty-one ICP patients were included, matched to 81 controls by age, sex, severity of depressive symptoms, and patterns of drinking. ICP cohort had a significantly lower dropout rate (18.5% vs 69.1%, p < .001; at 16 weeks of treatment, respectively), both cohorts demonstrated significant reduction in the number of heavy drinking days (β = .01, p < .001) and standard drinks per week (β = .15, p < .001) with a significantly higher reduction of both indicators over time in the ICP cohort. Significant reduction in depressive symptoms severity (QIDS: 14.6 vs 10.0, p < .001; BDI: 26.3 vs 16.2, p < .001) was observed in ICP cohort (no data for TAU cohort).

CONCLUSIONS

The ICP patients demonstrated improvements on several levels including depressive symptoms, and changes in alcohol drinking patterns. The study demonstrated the overall effectiveness of the ICP and apparent advantage over TAU, which must be corroborated through a randomized clinical trial. (Am J Addict 2017;26:602-609) SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: This study is one of the first works showing the outcomes of an ICP developed in the mental health area and for co-occurring disorders. Despite the limitations, the relative advantage of the ICP methodology warrants future research in this area.

Evaluation of an integrated group cognitive-behavioral treatment for comorbid mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders: A pilot study

This paper presents the development and preliminary evaluation of an integrated group cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) for comorbid mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders. The 12-session, manualized treatment was developed collaboratively by a mental health program in a teaching hospital and a community-based addictions service and administered in both settings. Results from an uncontrolled effectiveness trial of 29 treatment completers suggest that integrated group CBT may reduce stress and alcohol use symptoms and improve substance refusal self-efficacy. Changes in symptoms of anxiety, depression, and drug use were not significant, although the effect size for anxiety reduction was in the medium range. Nonetheless, the clinical significance of treatment effects on mood, anxiety, and substance use symptoms was modest. Changes in coping skills and quality of life were not significant, although medium-to-large effects were observed for changes in several coping skills. Participants reported being highly satisfied with treatment, found the treatment strategies to be useful, and noted an improvement in their functioning, particularly socially. Methodological and sample size limitations warrant more rigorous follow-up investigations of this treatment. Results are considered in the context of the current literature on integrated psychological treatments for these common comorbidities.

Effect of psychotherapy for depression on quality of life: meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Several meta-analyses have shown that psychotherapy is effective for reducing depressive symptom severity. However, the impact on quality of life (QoL) is as yet unknown.

AIMS

To investigate the effectiveness of psychotherapy for depression on global QoL and on the mental health and physical health components of QoL.

METHOD

We conducted a meta-analysis of 44 randomised clinical trials comparing psychotherapy for adults experiencing clinical depression or elevated depressive symptoms with a control group. We used subgroup analyses to explore the influence of various study characteristics on the effectiveness of treatment.

RESULTS

We detected a small to moderate effect size (Hedges' g = 0.33, 95% CI 0.24-0.42) for global QoL, a moderate effect size for the mental health component (g = 0.42, 95% CI 0.33-0.51) and, after removing an outlier, a small but statistically significant effect size for the physical health component (g = 0.16, 95% CI 0.05-0.27). Multivariate meta-regression analyses showed that the effect size of depressive symptoms was significantly related to the effect size of the mental health component of QoL. The effect size of depressive symptoms was not related to global QoL or the physical health component.

CONCLUSIONS

Psychotherapy for depression has a positive impact on the QoL of patients with depression. Improvements in QoL are not fully explained by improvements in depressive symptom severity.

Does group cognitive-behavioral therapy module type moderate depression symptom changes in substance abuse treatment clients?

Little is known about the effect of group therapy treatment modules on symptom change during treatment and on outcomes post-treatment. Secondary analyses of depressive symptoms collected from two group therapy studies conducted in substance use treatment settings were examined (n=132 and n=44). Change in PHQ-9 scores was modeled using longitudinal growth modeling combined with random effects modeling of session effects, with time-in-treatment interacted with module theme to test moderation. In both studies, depressive symptoms significantly decreased during the active treatment phase. Symptom reductions were not significantly moderated by module theme in the larger study. However, the smaller pilot study's results suggest that future examination of module effects is warranted, given the data are compatible with differential reductions in reported symptoms being associated with attending people-themed module sessions versus thoughts-themed sessions.

Treatment of comorbid alcohol use disorders and depression with cognitive-behavioural therapy and motivational interviewing: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

To review published studies on the effectiveness of combining cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and motivational interviewing (MI) to treat comorbid clinical and subclinical alcohol use disorder (AUD) and major depression (MDD) and estimate the effect of this compared with usual care.

METHODS

We conducted systematic literature searches in PubMed, PsycINFO and Embase up to June 2013 and identified additional studies through cross-references in included studies and systematic reviews. Twelve studies comprising 1721 patients met our inclusion criteria. The studies had sufficient statistical power to detect small effect sizes.

RESULTS

CBT/MI proved effective for treating subclinical and clinical AUD and MDD compared with controls, with small overall effect sizes at post-treatment [g=0.17, confidence interval (CI)=0.07-0.28, P<0.001 for decrease of alcohol consumption and g=0.27, CI: 0.13-0.41, P<0.001 for decrease of symptoms of depression, respectively]. Subgroup analyses revealed no significant differences for both AUD and MDD. However, digital interventions showed a higher effect size for depression than face-to-face interventions (g= 0.73 and g=0.23, respectively, P=0.030).

CONCLUSIONS

Combined cognitive-behavioural therapy and motivational interviewing for clinical or subclinical depressive and alcohol use disorders has a small but clinically significant effect in treatment outcomes compared with treatment as usual.

Healing pathways: a program for women with physical disabilities and depression

Objective. The objective of this study was to test the efficacy of the Healing Pathways (HP) program in reducing clinically significantly depressive symptoms in women with physical disabilities (WPD). Healing Pathways is a peer-implemented group mental health treatment program targeting WPD who have clinically significant cooccurring depressive symptoms. Participants. Eighty women were randomized in this trial. Design. This study used a community-based participatory intervention research design. Using community-based recruiting methods, participants were recruited from Centers for Independent Living, local disability service organizations, via Craig's list as well as other community locations such as grocery stores and bus stops. Women participated in the HP program for 14 weeks. Results. The primary outcome variable for this study was reduction in depressive symptoms as measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Depression Scale (CES-D). We found that there was a significant interaction effect of treatment by time on depression scores, F(3,210) = 9.51, P < 0.0001, partial η (2) = 0.101. Investigation of the predicted mean profile over time in the intervention group demonstrated that depression scores decreased greatly from baseline to the first posttest and remained stable in the two followups, whereas there was a little change in the mean profile over time in the control group. Conclusion. The HP program has demonstrated initial efficacy in reducing depressive symptoms in women with physical disabilities.

Training Addiction Counselors to Implement an Evidence-Based Intervention: Strategies for Increasing Organizational and Provider Acceptance

One barrier to widespread public access to empirically supported treatments (ESTs) is the limited availability and high cost of professionals trained to deliver them. Our earlier work from two clinical trials demonstrated that front-line addiction counselors could be trained to deliver a manualized, group-based cognitive behavioral therapy (GCBT) for depression, a prototypic example of an EST, with a high level of adherence and competence. This follow-up article provides specific recommendations for the selection and initial training of counselors, and for the structure and process of their ongoing clinical supervision. Unique challenges in working with counselors unaccustomed to traditional clinical supervision are highlighted. The recommendations are based on comprehensive feedback derived from clinician notes taken throughout the clinical trials, a focus group with counselors conducted one year following implementation, and interviews with key organization executives and administrators.