Supportive monitoring and disease management through the internet: an internet-delivered intervention strategy for recurrent depression.
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Date
2013-11-27
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Abstract
Major depression is a highly prevalent disabling disorder associated with loss of quality of life and large economic burden for the society Depressive disorders often follow a chronic or recurrent course The risk of relapses increases with each additional episode The internet deliverable intervention strategy SUMMIT SUpportive Monitoring and Disease Management over the InTernet for patients with recurrent depression has been developed with the main objectives to prolong symptom free phases and to shorten symptom loaden phases This paper describes the study design of a six sites three arm randomized clinical trial intended to evaluate the efficacy of this novel strategy compared to treatment as usual TAU Two hundred thirty six patients who had been treated for their at least third depressive episode in one of the six participating psychiatric centers were randomized into one of three groups 1 TAU plus a twelve month SUMMIT program participation with personal support or 2 TAU plus a twelve month SUMMIT program participation without personal support or 3 TAU alone Primary outcome of this study is defined as the number of well weeks over 24months after index treatment assessed by blind evaluators based on the Longitudinal Interval Follow Up Evaluation If efficacious the low monetary and nonmonetary expenditures of this automated yet individualized intervention may open new avenues for providing an acceptable convenient and affordable long term disease management strategy to people with a chronic mental condition such as recurrent depression