Depression is a debilitating illness affecting large numbers of young people. In this study, children and adolescents ages 10 to 17 meeting criteria for clinical depression will participate in a 15-session group therapy (cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT) that teaches strategies for overcoming depressed mood. For half the participants, their parents will also participate in a parent group. By studying the role of parental involvement, we hope to develop more effective treatments for depressed children and teens in the future.

Condition	Treatment or Intervention
Major Depressive Disorder Dysthymic Disorder	Behavior: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Further Study Details: 

Primary Outcomes: Diagnosis on structured interview; Children's Depression Inventory score
Secondary Outcomes: Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children; Children's Global Assessment Scale; Brief Family Assessment Measure; Perceived Competence Scale for Children
Expected Total Enrollment:  90

Depression is a debilitating illness affecting large numbers of young people. Psychotherapy approaches have shown some promise in teens, but few studies have examined these interventions when offered in a group format. The role of parents in treatment outcome has also received little attention.

In this study, children and adolescents ages 10 to 17 meeting criteria for clinical depression will participate in a 15-session group therapy (cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT) that teaches strategies for overcoming depressed mood. For half the participants, their parents will also participate in a parent group to help them better manage their depressed children and teens. We will randomly assign children to CBT with or without parental involvement. We hope to show that involving parents results in additional improvements in the children. We will also study factors that predict which children do best in treatment, and maintenance of gains at 6 month and 1 year follow-up. These findings will allow us to provide more effective treatments to depressed children and teens in the future.

Ages Eligible for Study:  10 Years   -   17 Years,  Genders Eligible for Study:  Both

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Children and adolescents meeting DSM-IV criteria for either Major Depression or Dysthymic Disorder.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Psychotic,
• Actively suicidal,
• IQ less than 80,
• Unable to speak English

Katharina Manassis, MD       katharina.manassis@sickkids.ca
Valery Kleiman, MA       valery_kleiman@camh.net

Canada, Ontario
      Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto,  Ontario,  M5T 1R8,  Canada; Recruiting

Study chairs or principal investigators

Katharina Manassis, MD,  Principal Investigator,  Centre for Addiction and Mental Health   

Study ID Numbers:  CBT DEP; Ethics # 138/2001
Record last reviewed:  November 2004
Last Updated:  November 12, 2004
Record first received:  November 12, 2004
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:  NCT00096642
Health Authority: Canada: Health Canada (Awaiting confirmation)
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on 2005-04-08