Abstract
BackgroundDepressive disorders and symptoms affect more than one-third of primary care patients, many of whom do not receive or do not complete treatment. Internet-based social support from peers could sustain depression treatment engagement and adherence. We do not know whether primary care patients will accept referral to such websites nor do we know which methods of referral would be most effective.ObjectiveWe conducted a randomized clinical trial to determine whether (1) a simple generic referral card (control), (2) a patient-oriented brochure that provided examples of online postings and experience (internal motivation), or (3) a physician letter of recommendation (external motivation) would generate the greatest participation in a primary care Internet depression treatment support portal focused around an Internet support group (ISG).MethodsWe used 3 offline methods to identify potential participants who had not used an ISG in the past 6 months. Eligibility was determined in part by a brief structured psychiatric interview based on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). After consent and enrollment, participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups (control, internal motivation, or external motivation). We constructed a portal to connect primary care patients to both fact-based information and an established ISG (Psycho-Babble). The ISG allowed participants to view messages and then decide if they actually wished to register there. Participation in the portal and the ISG was assessed via automated activity tracking.ResultsFifty participants were assigned to the 3 groups: a motivation-neutral control group (n=18), an internal motivation group (n=19), and an external motivation group (n=13). Of these participants, 31 (62%) visited the portal; 27 (54%) visited the ISG itself. The internal motivation group showed significantly greater participation than the control group on several measures. The external motivation group spent significantly less time logged onto the portal than the control group. The internal motivation group showed significantly greater participation than the external motivation group on several measures.ConclusionsReferral of primary care patients with depressive disorders and symptoms to an ISG is feasible even if they have never previously used one. This may best be accomplished by enhancing their internal motivation.Trial RegistrationClinicaltrials.gov: NCT00886730; http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00886730 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6F4981fDN)
Highlights
Mood disorders have a lifetime prevalence of 20.8% [1,2,3]
Fifty participants were assigned to the 3 groups: a motivation-neutral control group (n=18), an internal motivation group (n=19), and an external motivation group (n=13)
Referral of primary care patients with depressive disorders and symptoms to an Internet support group (ISG) is feasible even if they have never previously used one. This may best be accomplished by enhancing their internal motivation
Summary
Mood disorders have a lifetime prevalence of 20.8% [1,2,3]. Many Americans with a depressive disorder do not receive any treatment, and many of those who do receive treatment either do not receive high quality treatment or do not complete a full course of treatment [4]. A key component of these models appears to be support provided by case management, which may act by improving adherence or increasing patient activation [6,8]. These models are often expensive and cumbersome to implement [7]. As the number and quality of Internet models that provide self-directed psychotherapy [9], education [10], or social support [11] increases, so does the prospect for improving depression outcomes without costly person-to-person interventions or complex organizational changes [12]. We do not know whether primary care patients will accept referral to such websites nor do we know which methods of referral would be most effective
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