A team of researchers, led by Dr Nicola Wiles at the University of Bristol and involving researchers from the Peninsula Medical School in the South West, has been awarded £1.2 million by the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme for a clinical trial to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for patients with depression who do not respond to treatment with antidepressants.
Patients who have been taking antidepressants for at least six weeks will be invited to participate in the trial and receive either CBT in addition to their medication, or continue with usual care from their general practitioner (including medication). Both groups will be followed up for 12 months to see which approach is the most effective in reducing depressive symptoms and improving quality of life. Recruitment for the trial is due to start in the autumn.
The Bristol team, in partnership with researchers from the University of Exeter, the Peninsula Medical School, the University of Glasgow and the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership, will also evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the treatment and patients' views and experiences of it.
Dr Nicola Wiles said: "CBT has been shown to help patients with depression but there is currently little evidence about what alternative treatment options doctors should discuss with patients who do not get better with antidepressants. Improving access to psychological therapies is a Government priority, so it is important that we conduct studies such as this to help inform the care of people with depression."
Professor Campbell (Peninsula Medical School) said: "This study offers the opportunity for patients in the South West to contribute to an important piece of research which will help define the best mode of treatment for patients suffering from depression. The study will bring together a team of researchers from Peninsula Medical School and the University of Exeter (led by Professor Kuyken) in an exciting new venture ultimately aimed at improving patient care in the South West Peninsula"
This trial is one of three new research projects being funded by the NIHR HTA programme to expand the evidence base surrounding the effectiveness of CBT for the treatment of depression. A combination of psychotherapy and behavioural therapy, CBT works by changing people's attitudes and behaviour by focusing on their thoughts, beliefs and attitudes and how these relate to the way they behave. Existing research suggests that CBT may be effective in tackling depression, but more evidence is needed.
31st May 2008.
Notes to Editors
For more information about this clinical trial visit: http://www.hta.ac.uk/1656
The HTA programme is a programme of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and produces high quality research information about the effectiveness, costs, and broader impact of health technologies for those who use, manage and provide care in the NHS. It is the largest of the NIHR programmes and publishes the results of its research in the Health Technology Assessment journal (all issues available for download free of charge at http://www.hta.ac.uk/) The HTA programme is coordinated by the National Coordinating Centre for Health Technology Assessment (NCCHTA), based at the University of Southampton.
The National Institute for Health Research (http://www.nihr.ac.uk/) provides the framework through which the research staff and research infrastructure of the NHS in England is positioned, maintained and managed as a national research facility. The NIHR provides the NHS with the support and infrastructure it needs to conduct first-class research funded by the Government and its partners alongside high-quality patient care, education and training.
The Peninsula Medical School is a joint entity of the University of Exeter, the University of Plymouth and the NHS in the South West of England, and a partner of the Combined Universities in Cornwall. The Peninsula Medical School has created for itself an excellent national and international reputation for groundbreaking research in the areas of diabetes and obesity, neurological disease, child development and ageing, clinical education and health technology assessment.