NCT00494650

Cognitive Behavioral Treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in People With Additional Serious Mental Illnesses

Cognitive Behavioral Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Clients With Severe Mental Illness (in New Jersey)

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 200 (actual)
• Sponsor: Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study will evaluate the effectiveness of tailored cognitive behavioral therapy in treating post-traumatic stress disorder in people with additional mental illnesses.

Detailed description

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can develop after experiencing a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. People with PTSD have persistent frightening thoughts and memories about the traumatic event and may experience sleep problems, feel detached or numb, or be easily startled. Studies have shown that PTSD occurs at high rates among people with serious mental illnesses (SMI), such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and major depression. Research has also proven that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective PTSD treatment for caucasians living in rural areas when it is administered by a PhD-level clinician. It is not clear, however, how successful this treatment will be when it is delivered to a minority population by frontline mental health clinicians in an urban setting. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of tailored CBT in treating PTSD in people with additional mental illnesses who live in urban areas of New Jersey. Participants in this 4- to 5-month open-label study will be randomly assigned to receive either brief PTSD treatment or CBT. Participants assigned to brief PTSD treatment will have three meetings with a therapist per week. Participants will learn about PTSD, how symptoms may be affecting their lives, and a technique for reducing anxiety associated with PTSD. Participants assigned to CBT will attend 12 to 16 counseling sessions per week or every other week. Participants will learn about PTSD and ways to decrease anxiety associated with PTSD by completing homework assignments and practicing skills learned in counseling sessions. Outcomes will be assessed for all participants through interviews that will occur immediately post-treatment, 6 months post-treatment, and 1 year post-treatment. For information on a related study, please follow this link: http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00053690

Conditions

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)	CBT will include 12 to 16 counseling sessions, occurring weekly or every other week. Participants will learn about PTSD and ways to decrease anxiety associated with PTSD by completing homework assignments and practicing skills learned in counseling sessions.
BEHAVIORAL	Brief PTSD treatment	Brief PTSD treatment will include three weekly meetings with a therapist. Participants will learn about PTSD, how symptoms may be affecting their lives, and a technique for reducing anxiety associated with PTSD.

Timeline

• Start date: 2008-04-01
• Primary completion: 2012-07-01
• First posted: 2007-07-02
• Last updated: 2012-08-08

Locations

5 sites across 1 country: United States