NCT02090595

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Youth With Anxiety at Risk for Bipolar Disorder

Neurofunctional Effects of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Youth With Symptoms of Anxiety and a Familial Risk for Developing Bipolar Disorder

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 35 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Cincinnati · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 10 Years – 17 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Children who have parents with bipolar disorder are at risk for developing anxiety disorders.

Detailed description

Children who have parents with bipolar disorder are at risk for developing anxiety disorders. Typical treatments for anxiety in children are SSRI antidepressants. However, these medications may accelerate the onset of mania or hypomania in children with a family history of bipolar disorder or cause suicidal thinking in children. Studies trying alternative treatments to anxiety and possible bipolar disorder in children are needed, to establish other methods for treating childhood mental health. These studies can also help with early intervention and possible future prevention strategies for bipolar disorder. This study involves treating anxious children with Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy. They will have 12 weeks of mindfulness therapy in a group with other children where they will be led by a trained group leader, how to pay attention to anxiety cues and react differently.

Conditions

• Anxiety
• Bipolar Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	MBCT-C	A 12 week group therapy program for children with anxiety disorders. This involves teaching the children the pay attention to anxiety related cues with openness and non-judgment. Group leaders begin each session with: sitting meditation, review of the previous session and home practices, teaching a new mindfulness exercise, reading a group poem or story, distributing handouts, etc. There will be a new theme each week.
BEHAVIORAL	Waitlist Control	Waitlist Control (WC) will be the comparison condition. Some of the children in the study will initially participate in a 12 week WC prior to their participation in the MBCT-C. At each visit during the waitlist control period, participants and their families will receive materials about mood and anxiety disorders in youth, bipolar disorders, familial risk for bipolar disorder and treatment strategies for anxiety and depression in youth.

Timeline

• Start date: 2013-07-01
• Primary completion: 2015-07-01
• Completion: 2015-07-01
• First posted: 2014-03-18
• Last updated: 2016-05-18

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States