Brief Psychological Treatment For Depression Research Articles

Applying Human-Centered Design in Global Mental Health to Improve Reach Among Underserved Populations in the United States and India.

Human-centered design (HCD) refers to a diverse suite of interactive processes that engage end users in the development of a desired outcome. We showcase how 2 global mental health research teams applied HCD to develop mobile health tools, each directed at reducing treatment gaps in underserved populations. CASE STUDY 1: Refugees face higher risks for mental health problems, yet these communities face structural and cultural barriers that reduce access to and use of services. To address these challenges, the Research Program on Children and Adversity at the Boston College School of Social Work, in partnership with resettled refugee communities in the northeastern United States, used codesign methodology to digitally adapt delivery of the Family Strengthening Intervention for Refugees-a program designed to improve mental health and family functioning among resettled families. We describe how codesign methods support the development of more feasible, acceptable, and sustainable interventions. CASE STUDY 2: Sangath, an NGO in India focused on mental health services research, in partnership with Harvard Medical School, designed and evaluated a digital training program for community health workers to deliver an evidence-based, brief psychological treatment for depression as part of primary care in Madhya Pradesh, India. We describe how HCD was applied to program development and discuss our approach to scaling up training and capacity-building to deliver evidence-based treatment for depression in primary care. HCD involves a variety of techniques that can be flexibly adapted to engage end users in the conceptualization, implementation, scale-up, and sustainment of global mental health interventions. Community solutions generated using HCD offer important benefits for key stakeholders. We encourage widespread adoption of HCD within global mental health policy, research, and practice, especially for addressing mental health disparities with underserved populations.

Digital training for non-specialist health workers to deliver a brief psychological treatment for depression in India: Protocol for a three-arm randomized controlled trial

BackgroundTraining non-specialist health workers (NSHWs) at scale is a major barrier to increasing the coverage of depression care in India. This trial will test the effectiveness of two forms of digital training compared to conventional face-to-face training in changing the competence of NSHWs to deliver a brief evidence-based psychological treatment for depression. MethodsThis protocol is for a three-arm, parallel group randomized controlled trial comparing three ways of training NSHWs to deliver the Healthy Activity Program (HAP), a brief manualized psychotherapy for depression, in primary care. The arms are: digital training (DGT); digital training combined with individualized coaching support (DGT+); and conventional face-to-face training (F2F). The target sample comprises N = 336 government contracted NSHWs in Madhya Pradesh, India. The primary outcome is change of competence to deliver HAP; secondary outcomes include cost-effectiveness of the training programs, change in participants' mental health knowledge, attitudes and behavior, and satisfaction with the training. Assessors blind to participant allocation status will collect outcomes pre- (baseline) and post- (endpoint) training to ascertain differences in outcomes between arms. Training program costs will be collected to calculate incremental costs of achieving one additional unit on the competency measure in the digital compared to face-to-face training programs. Health worker motivation, job satisfaction, and burnout will be collected as exploratory outcome variables. DiscussionThis trial will determine whether digital training is an effective, cost-effective, and scalable approach for building workforce capacity to deliver a brief evidence-based psychological treatment for depression in primary care in a low-resource setting. Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04157816

Assessing health worker competence to deliver a brief psychological treatment for depression: development and validation of a scalable measure.

Increased interest in disseminating and implementing psychological treatments has focused on the need for evidence-based training programs for providers, especially those without specialized training. To evaluate provider-training programs, validated outcome measures are necessary; however, the scalable measurement of training outcomes has been largely overlooked. Current methods of assessing providers' ability to deliver psychological treatments are generally time-consuming and costly, representing a major bottleneck in scaling up mental health care for commonly occurring disorders such as depression. The present study describes the development and initial validation of a scalable measure for assessing provider competence in delivering a brief behavioral activation treatment for depression, called the Healthy Activity Program, adapted for primary care settings. The measure focuses on testing knowledge about the treatment and applied knowledge regarding how to skillfully deliver the treatment, both essential features of competence. The measure was tested on a sample of 531 respondents with a variety of educational levels and professional backgrounds and found to meet the requirements of the Rasch model. Three versions of the measure each of equal difficulty were derived to allow repeat testing of training outcomes over time. A scalable measure of provider competence is an essential first step towards supporting the wider dissemination and implementation of brief psychological interventions for depression, especially in low-resource settings.

Digital Training for Non-Specialist Health Workers to Deliver a Brief Psychological Treatment for Depression in Primary Care in India: Findings from a Randomized Pilot Study.

Introduction: Task sharing holds promise for scaling up depression care in countries such as India, yet requires training large numbers of non-specialist health workers. This pilot trial evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of a digital program for training non-specialist health workers to deliver a brief psychological treatment for depression. Methods: Participants were non-specialist health workers recruited from primary care facilities in Sehore, a rural district in Madhya Pradesh, India. A three-arm randomized controlled trial design was used, comparing digital training alone (DGT) to digital training with remote support (DGT+), and conventional face-to-face training. The primary outcome was the feasibility and acceptability of digital training programs. Preliminary effectiveness was explored as changes in competency outcomes, assessed using a self-reported measure covering the specific knowledge and skills required to deliver the brief psychological treatment for depression. Outcomes were collected at pre-training and post-training. Results: Of 42 non-specialist health workers randomized to the training programs, 36 including 10 (72%) in face-to-face, 12 (86%) in DGT, and 14 (100%) in DGT+ arms started the training. Among these participants, 27 (64%) completed the training, with 8 (57%) in face-to-face, 8 (57%) in DGT, and 11 (79%) in DGT+. The addition of remote telephone support appeared to improve completion rates for DGT+ participants. The competency outcome improved across all groups, with no significant between-group differences. However, face-to-face and DGT+ participants showed greater improvement compared to DGT alone. There were numerous technical challenges with the digital training program such as poor connectivity, smartphone app not loading, and difficulty navigating the course content—issues that were further emphasized in follow-up focus group discussions with participants. Feedback and recommendations collected from participants informed further modifications and refinements to the training programs in preparation for a forthcoming large-scale effectiveness trial. Conclusions: This study adds to mounting efforts aimed at leveraging digital technology to increase the availability of evidence-based mental health services in primary care settings in low-resource settings.

Design and Development of a Digital Program for Training Non-Specialist Health Workers to Deliver an Evidence-Based Psychological Treatment for Depression in Primary Care in India.

Digital technologies hold promise for building capacity of non-specialist health workers towards scaling up depression care in low-resource settings. The purpose of this study was to describe the systematic approach to designing a digital program for training non-specialist health workers to deliver an evidence-based brief psychological treatment for depression, called the Healthy Activity Program, in primary care in rural India. The design and development of the training program involved 5 steps: 1) develop program blueprint; 2) create instructional content; 3) digitize content for a smartphone app; 4) develop a platform for uploading and hosting the digital content; and 5) user-testing and refinements to ensure program functioning. This was followed by field-testing and focus group discussions with non-specialist health workers recruited from primary care facilities in Madhya Pradesh, India, to inform further modifications and improvements to the digital training program. Training program development occurred over 12-months, and the final digital training consisted of 16 modules with videos, role-plays, and digital content tailored to the local culture and context. Focus group discussions with 19 non-specialist health workers generated three key action items and modifications to the digital training in response to participant feedback: 1) addressing technical challenges by making the digital content available offline; 2) account for low digital literacy by including a comprehensive orientation session about navigating the smartphone app; and 3) addition of remote coaching to support participants in completing the training. This study illustrates a step-wise approach to combine evidence-based content with iterative feedback from stakeholders to develop a digital training program tailored to the context in a low-resource setting. Further research is needed to validate this approach and to evaluate the effectiveness of the final modified digital training program, while considering whether this approach can be adopted and replicated in other settings.

Digital Training for Non-Specialist Health Workers to Deliver a Brief Psychological Treatment for Depression

Digital Training for Non-Specialist Health Workers to Deliver a Brief Psychological Treatment for Depression

Acceptability and feasibility of digital technology for training community health workers to deliver brief psychological treatment for depression in rural India.

Digital technology offers opportunities to train community health workers to deliver psychological treatments towards closing the gap in existing mental health services in low-resource settings. This study explored the acceptability and feasibility of using digital technology for training community health workers to deliver evidence-based brief psychological treatment for depression in rural India. This study consisted of two sequential evaluations of digital training prototypes using focus group discussions to explore community health worker perspectives about the digital training platform and the program content. Through an iterative design process, feedback was collected about the first prototype to inform modifications to the second prototype. Qualitative data was analyzed using a framework analysis approach. Thirty-two community health workers participated in three separate focus group discussions. Five overarching themes related to acceptability and feasibility of digital training revealed that training on detection and treatment of depression was considered important by study participants for addressing 'stress' and 'tension' within their communities, while the digital platform was viewed as useful and convenient despite limited familiarity with using digital technology. Moreover, participants suggested simple language for the program and use of interactive content and images to increase interest and improve engagement. Digital technology appears acceptable and feasible for supporting training of community health workers to deliver evidence-based depression care in rural India. These findings can inform use of technology as a tool for developing the clinical skills of community health workers for treating depression in low-resource settings.

Sustained effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the Healthy Activity Programme, a brief psychological treatment for depression delivered by lay counsellors in primary care: 12-month follow-up of a randomised controlled trial.

BackgroundThe Healthy Activity Programme (HAP), a brief behavioural intervention delivered by lay counsellors, enhanced remission over 3 months among primary care attendees with depression in peri-urban and rural settings in India. We evaluated the sustainability of the effects after treatment termination, the cost-effectiveness of HAP over 12 months, and the effects of the hypothesized mediator of activation on clinical outcomes.Methods and findingsPrimary care attendees aged 18–65 years screened with moderately severe to severe depression on the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) were randomised to either HAP plus enhanced usual care (EUC) (n = 247) or EUC alone (n = 248), of whom 95% completed assessments at 3 months, and 91% at 12 months. Primary outcomes were severity on the Beck Depression Inventory–II (BDI-II) and remission on the PHQ-9. HAP participants maintained the gains they showed at the end of treatment through the 12-month follow-up (difference in mean BDI-II score between 3 and 12 months = −0.34; 95% CI −2.37, 1.69; p = 0.74), with lower symptom severity scores than participants who received EUC alone (adjusted mean difference in BDI-II score = −4.45; 95% CI −7.26, −1.63; p = 0.002) and higher rates of remission (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] = 1.36; 95% CI 1.15, 1.61; p < 0.009). They also fared better on most secondary outcomes, including recovery (aPR = 1.98; 95% CI 1.29, 3.03; p = 0.002), any response over time (aPR = 1.45; 95% CI 1.27, 1.66; p < 0.001), higher likelihood of reporting a minimal clinically important difference (aPR = 1.42; 95% CI 1.17, 1.71; p < 0.001), and lower likelihood of reporting suicidal behaviour (aPR = 0.71; 95% CI 0.51, 1.01; p = 0.06). HAP plus EUC also had a marginal effect on WHO Disability Assessment Schedule score at 12 months (aPR = −1.58; 95% CI −3.33, 0.17; p = 0.08); other outcomes (days unable to work, intimate partner violence toward females) did not statistically significantly differ between the two arms. Economic analyses indicated that HAP plus EUC was dominant over EUC alone, with lower costs and better outcomes; uncertainty analysis showed that from this health system perspective there was a 95% chance of HAP being cost-effective, given a willingness to pay threshold of Intl$16,060—equivalent to GDP per capita in Goa—per quality-adjusted life year gained. Patient-reported behavioural activation level at 3 months mediated the effect of the HAP intervention on the 12-month depression score (β = −2.62; 95% CI −3.28, −1.97; p < 0.001). Serious adverse events were infrequent, and prevalence was similar by arm. We were unable to assess possible episodes of remission and relapse that may have occurred between our outcome assessment time points of 3 and 12 months after randomisation. We did not account for or evaluate the effect of mediators other than behavioural activation.ConclusionsHAP’s superiority over EUC at the end of treatment was largely stable over time and was mediated by patient activation. HAP provides better outcomes at lower costs from a perspective covering publicly funded healthcare services and productivity impacts on patients and their families.Trial registrationISRCTN registry ISRCTN95149997

The global dissemination of psychological treatments: a road map for research and practice.

The global dissemination of psychological treatments: a road map for research and practice.

Cost-utility of brief psychological treatment for depression and anxiety

The cost-utility of brief therapy compared with cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and care as usual in the treatment of depression and anxiety has not yet been determined. To assess the cost-utility of brief therapy compared with CBT and care as usual. A pragmatic randomised controlled trial involving 702 patients was conducted at 7 Dutch mental healthcare centres (MHCs). Patients were interviewed at baseline and then every 3 months over a period of 1.5 years, during which time data were collected on direct costs, indirect costs and quality of life. The mean direct costs of treatment at the MHCs were significantly lower for brief therapy than for CBT and care as usual. However, after factoring in other healthcare costs and indirect costs, no significant differences between the treatment groups could be detected. We found no significant differences in quality-adjusted life-years between the groups. Cost-utility did not differ significantly between the three treatment groups.

Behaviour therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder: a decade of progress.

To review the last decade of behaviour therapy research in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The most salient research was analyzed. Many studies confirmed that exposure and ritual prevention (ERP) effectively reduced compulsive rituals and obsessive thoughts in most patients in all age groups, although a minority of the patients did not complete treatment. Gains persisted to follow-up 2 to 6 years later in several countries. Improvement after ERP generalized to obsessive-compulsive beliefs, mood, work, and social adjustment, and was accompanied by reduction in cerebral blood flow in the right caudate nucleus. Teaching patients how to prevent relapse seems to reduce the risk of recurrence. ERP yields slightly more improvement than does appropriate antidepressant medication and is followed by far less relapse after treatment has stopped, so ERP may be more cost-effective in the long term. Antidepressant medication is a useful adjunct to ERP when OCD is accompanied by comorbid depression. The therapist now tends to teach patients how to carry out self-exposure and self-imposed ritual prevention, rather than to impose ERP on them. Self-help manuals help patients to do this, and computer aids to allow patients to learn how to do ERP at home have been valuable in pilot studies. Cognitive therapy without ERP was as useful as ERP. ERP is of lasting value for OCD. Long-term cost-effectiveness comparisons are needed of self-administered ERP versus cognitive therapy and versus medication. Studies are also needed of brief psychological treatment for depression comorbid with OCD.