Case Series Evaluation of ADepT for Talking Therapies non-remittance
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A case series evaluation of Augmented Depression Therapy (ADepT) for those who are still in depression after completing NHS Talking Therapies high-intensity interventions
IRAS ID
331707
Contact name
Barney Dunn
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Head of Research Governance, Ethics and Compliance University Corporate Services
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, Will be registered on ClinicalTrials.gov prior to the first participant being recruited (and no later than six weeks after if there is a delay); N/A, Will be pre registered on ORE once published
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 6 months, 2 days
Research summary
Depression is common, causes significant distress, makes it hard to have a sense of wellbeing, and function fully in everyday life. Current talking treatments do not work for everyone; many who finish NHS Talking Therapies treatment options still suffer from symptoms of depression and are still considered as experiencing depression by services. This highlights the need to develop and evaluate new approaches, particularly for those who still have symptoms of depression after NHS Talking Therapy treatments. People with depression experience more negative emotions and thoughts, and experience fewer positive emotions and thoughts including feeling content and experiencing wellbeing. Both need to improve if people are to fully recover. Current talking treatments are useful in repairing negative emotions but are less good at re-building positive emotions. Augmented Depression Therapy (ADepT) was co-designed with people with lived-experience of depression with equal focus on building positivity (including building wellbeing) and reducing negativity (such as having negative thoughts). Previous work shows that ADepT successfully reduces negative emotions and builds positive emotions in adults with depression, leading to reductions in the symptoms of depression as well as large increases in wellbeing. This research will begin to evaluate if ADepT can also help those who are still depressed after attempting NHS Talking Therapies treatment options for depression (characterised as scoring <10 on a routinely administered measure of depression in NHS Talking Therapies called the PHQ-9, after completing 8 or more sessions). Up to fifteen adults suffering from depression will be offered ADepT at the AccEPT clinic, Devon. We will evaluate if it is effective using a ‘case series’ methodology, tracking changes in depression and anxiety symptoms and wellbeing in the weeks before, during and after treatment. We will also invite people who received ADepT to take part in an interview to discuss their experiences of treatment.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/NW/0319
Date of REC Opinion
24 Oct 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion