Internet delivered exposure based cognitive behavior therapy for IBS - A clinical effectiveness study.

OBJECTIVES: IBS is a common and debilitating disorder. When dietary and pharmacological interventions are not satisfactory, psychological treatment may produce good results. But the access to such treatment is scarce and therefore it is of importance to make use of technical solutions. In the present study we wanted to investigate the real-world effectiveness of an internet-delivered exposure based cognitive behavioral treatment (ECBT) for IBS and to replicate an earlier finding regarding the working mechanism of the treatment. METHODS: 309 consecutively recruited patients from the Internet Psychiatry Clinic in Stockholm received ECBT for 12 weeks. The patients' IBS symptoms, quality of life, avoidance behaviors and gastro-intestinal symptom-specific anxiety (GSA) were monitored and we used a bivariate cross-lagged panel model to investigate time-related change in symptoms and avoidance behaviors. RESULTS: IBS symptoms, measured with The Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale for IBS (GSRS-IBS) were reduced from 48.06 (SD = 11.26) pre-treatment to 33.06 (SD=10.81) 6 month after treatment (p<.001). The effect size was (Cohens d) 1.30 [1.08-1.51]. There was a significant (p<.001) cross-lagged effect from reduction in avoidance behavior to reduction in symptoms but not in the reversed direction, indicating that the treatment effect is mediated by behavioral change. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that ECBT is effective under real world conditions, also when delivered via the internet, and that an important treatment mechanism is the reduction of avoidance behaviors.

Psychological Treatment of Comorbid Insomnia and Depression: A Double-Blind Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial.

INTRODUCTION: Insomnia and depression are highly prevalent disorders and commonly occur together. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, CBT-I, has been shown to be effective in treating insomnia and also comorbid depression. However, it is unclear whether effects of CBT-I on depression are specific or nonspecific. Also, depressive symptoms often remain too high after CBT-I, indicating a need for improved treatments. The objective was to determine whether combining CBT-I with CBT for depression, without increasing treatment length, reduces both insomnia and depression more than CBT for depression with a placebo insomnia intervention. METHODS: A 12-week double-blind randomized controlled trial with a 6-month follow-up in a psychiatric setting using therapist-guided internet-delivered treatments was conducted. Patients (N = 126) were diagnosed with insomnia disorder and major depression by physicians. Primary outcome measures were as follows: self-rating scales Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS-S). RESULTS: The combined treatment showed specific effects on insomnia severity over the control treatment (p = 0.007) but was not more effective in reducing depression severity. Within-group effects (Cohen's d) at post and at 6 months were as follows: ISI 1.40 and 1.42 (combined treatment), 0.95 and 1.00 (control); MADRS-S 0.97 and 1.12 (combined), 0.88 and 0.89 (control). CONCLUSIONS: CBT-I shows large specific effects on insomnia severity and is superior to control in this regard. Both treatments had similar effects on depression severity, i.e., combining CBT-I with CBT for depression did not enhance outcomes on depression compared to control. We suggest CBT-I should always be offered to patients with insomnia and depression comorbidity, possibly as the first-hand choice. Combining it with a psychological treatment for depression could be too burdening and may not be beneficial.

The influence of organizational models on the implementation of internet-based cognitive behavior therapy in primary care: A mixed methods study using the RE-AIM framework.

Background: Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (iCBT) holds great potential in addressing mental health issues, yet its real-world implementation poses significant challenges. While prior research has predominantly focused on centralized care models, this study explores the implementation of iCBT in the context of decentralized organizational structures within the Swedish primary care setting, where all interventions traditionally are delivered at local Primary Care Centers (PCCs). Aim: This study aims to enhance our understanding of iCBT implementation in primary care and assess the impact of organizational models on the implementation's outcome using the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance) framework. Method: A mixed-methods research design was employed to identify the factors influencing iCBT implementation across different levels, involving patients, therapists and managers. Data spanning two years was collected and analyzed through thematic analysis and statistical tests. The study encompassed 104 primary care centers, with patient data (n = 1979) sourced from the Swedish National Quality Register for Internet-Based Psychological Treatment (SibeR). Additionally, 53 iCBT therapists and 50 PCC managers completed the Normalization Measure Development Questionnaire, and 15 leaders participated in interviews. Results: Our investigation identified two implementation approaches, one concentrated and one decentralized. Implementation effectiveness was evident through adherence rates suggesting that iCBT is a promising approach for treating mental ill-health in primary care, although challenges were observed concerning patient assessment and therapist drift towards unstructured treatment. Mandatory implementation, along with managerial and organizational support, positively impacted adoption. Results vary in terms of adherence to established protocols, with therapists working in concentrated model showing a significantly higher percentage of registration in the quality register SibeR (X2 (1, N = 2973) = 430.5774, p = 0.001). They also showed significantly higher means in cognitive participation (Z = -2.179, p = 0.029) and in reflective monitoring (Z = -2.548, p = 0.011). Discussion: Overall, the study results demonstrate that iCBT, as a complex and qualitatively different intervention from traditional psychological treatment, can be widely implemented in primary care settings. The study's key finding highlights the substantial advantages of the concentrated organizational model. This model has strengths in sustainability, encourages reflective monitoring among therapists, the use of quality registers, and enforces established protocols. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study significantly contributes to the understanding of the practical aspects associated with the implementation of complex internet interventions, particularly in the context of internet-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (iCBT). The study highlights that effective iCBT integration into primary care requires a multifaceted approach, taking into account organizational models, robust support structures, and a commitment to maintaining quality standards. By emphasizing these factors, our research aims to provide actionable insights that can enhance the practicability and real-world applicability of implementing iCBT in primary care settings.

Swedish multimodal cohort of patients with anxiety or depression treated with internet-delivered psychotherapy (MULTI-PSYCH).

PURPOSE: Depression and anxiety afflict millions worldwide causing considerable disability. MULTI-PSYCH is a longitudinal cohort of genotyped and phenotyped individuals with depression or anxiety disorders who have undergone highly structured internet-based cognitive-behaviour therapy (ICBT). The overarching purpose of MULTI-PSYCH is to improve risk stratification, outcome prediction and secondary preventive interventions. MULTI-PSYCH is a precision medicine initiative that combines clinical, genetic and nationwide register data. PARTICIPANTS: MULTI-PSYCH includes 2668 clinically well-characterised adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) (n=1300), social anxiety disorder (n=640) or panic disorder (n=728) assessed before, during and after 12 weeks of ICBT at the internet psychiatry clinic in Stockholm, Sweden. All patients have been blood sampled and genotyped. Clinical and genetic data have been linked to several Swedish registers containing a wide range of variables from patient birth up to 10 years after the end of ICBT. These variable types include perinatal complications, school grades, psychiatric and somatic comorbidity, dispensed medications, medical interventions and diagnoses, healthcare and social benefits, demographics, income and more. Long-term follow-up data will be collected through 2029. FINDINGS TO DATE: Initial uses of MULTI-PSYCH include the discovery of an association between PRS for autism spectrum disorder and response to ICBT, the development of a machine learning model for baseline prediction of remission status after ICBT in MDD and data contributions to genome wide association studies for ICBT outcome. Other projects have been launched or are in the planning phase. FUTURE PLANS: The MULTI-PSYCH cohort provides a unique infrastructure to study not only predictors or short-term treatment outcomes, but also longer term medical and socioeconomic outcomes in patients treated with ICBT for depression or anxiety. MULTI-PSYCH is well positioned for research collaboration.

The 14-item short health anxiety inventory (SHAI-14) used as a screening tool: appropriate interpretation and diagnostic accuracy of the Swedish version.

BACKGROUND: The 14-item Short Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI-14) is a common measure of health anxiety but its screening properties have not been studied. The aims of this study were to evaluate the SHAI-14 as a screening instrument, identify cut-offs for clinically significant health anxiety and investigate which scores correspond to different severity levels. METHOD: The study included 1729 psychiatric patients and 85 healthy controls. Participants completed the SHAI-14 and underwent a diagnostic interview. Cut-off scores were evaluated in three scenarios to approximate screening 1) in a psychiatric clinic, 2) in a low prevalence setting and, 3) of healthy volunteers (cut-off for remission). Receiver operating characteristics were used. Classification of severity was based on the distribution of SHAI-14 scores reported by patients with clinically significant health anxiety. RESULTS: The area under the curve (AUC) values were high in all scenarios (above 0.95). The optimal cut-off scores on the SHAI-14 were 22 in the psychiatric context, 29 in a setting with low prevalence of psychiatric disorders and 18 versus healthy controls. SHAI-14 scores of 0-27 represented no or mild health anxiety, 28-32 moderate health anxiety and 33-42 substantial health anxiety. CONCLUSION: Brief self-report measures used as screening instruments are a simple way of gathering information about the presence of specific symptoms and thus a way to detect the likelihood of a diagnosis. The SHAI-14 shows evidence of good diagnostic utility in both clinical and non-clinical settings. However, which cut-off score is to be used, depends on the intended purpose and the setting where the cut-off is used.

Evidence for validity of the Swedish self-rated 36-item version of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) in patients with mental disorders: a multi-centre cross-sectional study using Rasch analysis.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) is a generic instrument for the assessment of functioning in six domains, resulting in a total health-related disability score. The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Swedish-language version of the self-rated 36-item version in psychiatric outpatients with various common psychiatric diagnoses using Rasch analysis. A secondary aim was to explore the correlation between two methods of calculating overall scores to guide clinical practice: the WHODAS simple (summative) model and the WHODAS complex (weighted) model. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from 780 Swedish patients with various mental disorders were evaluated by Rasch analysis according to the partial credit model. Bivariate Pearson correlations between the two methods of calculating overall scores were explored. RESULTS: Of the 36 items, 97% (35 items) were within the recommended range of infit mean square; only item D4.5 (Sexual activities) indicated misfit (infit mean square 1.54 logits). Rating scale analysis showed a short distance between severity levels and disordered thresholds. The two methods of calculating overall scores were highly correlated (0.89-0.99). CONCLUSIONS: The self-administered WHODAS 2.0 fulfilled several aspects of validity according to Rasch analysis and has the potential to be a useful tool for the assessment of functioning in psychiatric outpatients. The internal structure of the instrument was satisfactorily valid and reliable at the level of the total score but demonstrated problems at the domain level. We suggest rephrasing the item Sexual activities and revising the rating scale categories. The WHODAS simple model is easier to use in clinical practice and our results indicate that it can differentiate function among patients with moderate psychiatric disability, whereas Rasch scaled scores are psychometrically more precise even at low disability levels. Further investigations of different scoring models are warranted.

Exposure based cognitive behavioral group therapy for IBS at a gastroenterological clinic - a clinical effectiveness study.

BACKGROUND: Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may benefit from psychological treatment when diet changes and medications do not sufficiently reduce symptoms. Our research team has developed an exposure based cognitive behavioral therapy protocol (ECBT), which has been shown to be effective in several randomized controlled trials. AIM: To investigate the effectiveness of ECBT in clinical routine care at a gastroenterological clinic in Stockholm and to find predictors for treatment outcome. METHOD: A ten session ECBT based on our protocol was given face to face by licensed psychologists in groups of 4-6 patients. A total of 129 patients provided information regarding IBS symptoms, quality of life, gastrointestinal symptom-specific anxiety (GSA), and depression pre and post-treatment. We used linear regression analyses to identify patient characteristics that predicted treatment outcome. RESULTS: The primary outcome was symptom severity measured with The Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale for IBS (GSRS-IBS). Average pre-and post-treatment GSRS-IBS scores were 49.24 (SD = 11.54) and 37.03 (SD = 10.03), corresponding to a 34.0% reduction in symptom severity (p < .001). Reductions were also found in GSA, 43.9% (p < .001) and depression, 38.6% (p < .001). IBS-related quality of life was on average increased by 68.2% (p < .001). The effect sizes were large and varied between (Cohen's d) 0.95 and 1.84. None of the patients' pre-treatment characteristics predicted outcome. CONCLUSION: We conclude that ECBT for IBS delivered face-to-face in a group-format is very effective, also in a routine care setting. We did not find any reliable predictors for treatment outcome. The trial was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov with ID: NCT04756414.

Return on investment of internet delivered exposure therapy for irritable bowel syndrome: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a debilitating and costly disorder. Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is effective in the treatment of IBS, both when delivered over the internet and in face-to-face settings. CBT consists of different components and little is known about their relative importance. We have in an earlier study showed that inclusion of exposure in the CBT for IBS makes it even more effective. In the present study we wanted to evaluate the economic effects for society of inclusion vs exclusion of exposure in an internet delivered CBT for IBS. METHODS: We used data from a previous study with 309 participants with IBS. Participants were randomized to internet delivered CBT with (ICBT) or without exposure (ICBT-WE). We compared direct and indirect costs at baseline, after treatment, and 6 months after treatment (primary endpoint; 6MFU). Data was also collected on symptom severity and time spent by therapists and participants. The relative Incremental Cost Effectiveness Ratio (ICER) was calculated for the two treatment conditions and the return on investment (ROI). RESULTS: Results showed that ICBT cost $213.5 (20%) more than ICBT-WE per participant. However, ICBT was associated with larger reductions regarding both costs and symptoms than ICBT-WE at 6MFU. The ICER was - 301.69, meaning that for every point improvement on the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale-IBS version in ICBT, societal costs would be reduced with approximately $300. At a willingness to pay for a case of clinically significant improvement in IBS symptoms of $0, there was an 84% probability of cost-effectiveness. ROI analysis showed that for every $1 invested in ICBT rather than ICBT-WE, the return would be $5.64 six months after treatment. Analyses of post-treatment data showed a similar pattern although cost-savings were smaller. CONCLUSIONS: Including exposure in Cognitive Behavior Treatment for IBS is more cost-effective from a societal perspective than not including it, even though it may demand more therapist and patient time in the short term. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study is reported in accordance with the CONSORT statement for non-pharmacological trials [1]. Clinicaltrials.gov registration ID: NCT01529567 (14/02/2013).

Serotonin transporter availability increases in patients recovering from a depressive episode.

Molecular imaging studies have shown low cerebral concentration of serotonin transporter in patients suffering from depression, compared to healthy control subjects. Whether or not this difference also is present before disease onset and after remission (i.e. a trait), or only at the time of the depressive episode (i.e. a state) remains to be explored. We examined 17 patients with major depressive disorder with positron emission tomography using [11C]MADAM, a radioligand that binds to the serotonin transporter, before and after treatment with internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy. In all, 17 matched healthy control subjects were examined once. Cerebellum was used as reference to calculate the binding potential. Differences before and after treatment, as well as between patients and controls, were assessed in a composite cerebral region and in the median raphe nuclei. All image analyses and confirmatory statistical tests were preregistered. Depression severity decreased following treatment (p < 0.001). [11C]MADAM binding in patients increased in the composite region after treatment (p = 0.01), while no change was observed in the median raphe (p = 0.51). No significant difference between patients at baseline and healthy controls were observed in the composite region (p = 0.97) or the median raphe (p = 0.95). Our main finding was that patients suffering from a depressive episode show an overall increase in cerebral serotonin transporter availability as symptoms are alleviated. Our results suggest that previously reported cross-sectional molecular imaging findings of the serotonin transporter in depression most likely reflect the depressive state, rather than a permanent trait. The finding adds new information on the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder.

Psychometric evaluation of the Swedish self-rated 36-item version of WHODAS 2.0 for use in psychiatric populations - using classical test theory.

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Swedish version of the self-rated 36-item WHODAS 2.0 in patients from Swedish psychiatric outpatient settings, using classical test theory. METHODS: The 36-item WHODAS 2.0, together with the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS), was filled in by a sample of 780 participating psychiatric patients: 512 (65.6%) women, 263 (33.7%) men, and 5 (0.6%) who did not report any sex. RESULTS: The internal consistency, measured by Cronbach's alpha, for the different domains of functioning were between 0.70 and 0.94, and interpreted as good. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) revealed two levels: the first level consisted of a general disability factor, while the second level consisted of the six domains of the scale, respectively. The model had borderline fit. There was a significant correlation between WHODAS 2.0 36-item and SDS (n = 395). The WHODAS 2.0 differed significantly between diagnostic groups. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates that the Swedish self-rated 36-item version of WHODAS 2.0, within a psychiatric outpatient population, showed good reliability and convergent validity. We conclude that the self-rated 36-item Swedish version of WHODAS 2.0 can be used for valid interpretations of disability in patients with psychiatric health conditions.

Improvement in indices of cellular protection after psychological treatment for social anxiety disorder.

Telomere attrition is a hallmark of cellular aging and shorter telomeres have been reported in mood and anxiety disorders. Telomere shortening is counteracted by the enzyme telomerase and cellular protection is also provided by the antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase (GPx). Here, telomerase, GPx, and telomeres were investigated in 46 social anxiety disorder (SAD) patients in a within-subject design with repeated measures before and after cognitive behavioral therapy. Treatment outcome was assessed by the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (self-report), administered three times before treatment to control for time and regression artifacts, and posttreatment. Venipunctures were performed twice before treatment, separated by 9 weeks, and once posttreatment. Telomerase activity and telomere length were measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and GPx activity in plasma. All patients contributed with complete data. Results showed that social anxiety symptom severity was significantly reduced from pretreatment to posttreatment (Cohen's d = 1.46). There were no significant alterations in telomeres or cellular protection markers before treatment onset. Telomere length and telomerase activity did not change significantly after treatment, but an increase in telomerase over treatment was associated with reduced social anxiety. Also, lower pretreatment telomerase activity predicted subsequent symptom improvement. GPx activity increased significantly during treatment, and increases were significantly associated with symptom improvement. The relationships between symptom improvement and putative protective enzymes remained significant also after controlling for body mass index, sex, duration of SAD, smoking, concurrent psychotropic medication, and the proportion of lymphocytes to monocytes. Thus, indices of cellular protection may be involved in the therapeutic mechanisms of psychological treatment for anxiety.

Development of a very brief scale for detecting and measuring panic disorder using two items from the Panic Disorder Severity Scale-Self Report.

OBJECTIVE: To minimize the burden in detecting and monitoring Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia by developing a very brief scale with selected items from the Panic Disorder Severity Scale-Self Report (PDSS-SR), and to investigate the proposed scale's psychometric properties in a comorbid sample. METHODS: A sample of 5103 patients from the Internet Psychiatry Clinic in Sweden, diagnosed and treated with Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy for panic disorder (n = 1390), social anxiety disorder (n = 1313) or depression (n = 2400), responded to the PDSS-SR. Six criteria related to factor structure, sensitivity to change and clinical representativeness were used to select items. Psychometric analyses for the selected very brief scale were performed. RESULTS: Items 2 (distress during panic attacks) and 4 (agoraphobic avoidance), were selected to create the very brief PDSS-SR version. Correlations with the full scale were high at screening, pre and post, and for change (0.87-0.93). Categorical Omega was ⍵C = 0.74. With a cut-off of 3 points, the scale could detect panic disorder in a psychiatric sample with a sensitivity of 85% and a specificity of 66%. LIMITATIONS: Limitations include lack of healthy controls and lack of blinding on secondary outcome measures. CONCLUSION: The proposed 2-item PDSS-SR version is a good candidate for a very brief panic disorder questionnaire, both for detecting cases and for measuring change. This is especially useful in clinical settings when measuring more than one condition at a time.

Proof of Concept for an Adaptive Treatment Strategy to Prevent Failures in Internet-Delivered CBT: A Single-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial With Insomnia Patients.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to demonstrate proof of concept for an adaptive treatment strategy in Internet-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy (ICBT), where risk of treatment failure is assessed early in treatment and treatment for at-risk patients is adapted to prevent treatment failure. METHODS: A semiautomated algorithm assessed risk of treatment failure early in treatment in 251 patients undergoing ICBT for insomnia with therapist guidance. At-risk patients were randomly assigned to continue standard ICBT or to receive adapted ICBT. The primary outcome was self-rated insomnia symptoms using the Insomnia Severity Index in a linear mixed-effects model. The main secondary outcome was treatment failure (having neither responded nor remitted at the posttreatment assessment). RESULTS: A total of 102 patients were classified as at risk and randomly assigned to receive adapted ICBT (N=51) or standard ICBT (N=51); 149 patients were classified as not at risk. Patients not at risk had significantly greater score reductions on the Insomnia Severity Index than at-risk patients given standard ICBT. Adapted ICBT for at-risk patients was significantly more successful in reducing symptoms compared with standard ICBT, and it decreased the risk of failing treatment (odds ratio=0.33). At-risk patients receiving adapted ICBT were not more likely to experience treatment failure than those not at risk (odds ratio=0.51), though they were less likely to experience remission. Adapted treatment required, on average, 14 more minutes of therapist-patient time per remaining week. CONCLUSIONS: An adaptive treatment strategy can increase treatment effects for at-risk patients and reduce the number of failed treatments. Future studies should improve accuracy in classification algorithms and identify key factors that boost the effect of adapted treatments.

Genetics of response to cognitive behavior therapy in adults with major depression: a preliminary report.

Major depressive disorder is heritable and a leading cause of disability. Cognitive behavior therapy is an effective treatment for major depression. By quantifying genetic risk scores based on common genetic variants, the aim of this report was to explore the utility of psychiatric and cognitive trait genetic risk scores, for predicting the response of 894 adults with major depressive disorder to cognitive behavior therapy. The participants were recruited in a psychiatric setting, and the primary outcome score was measured using the Montgomery Åsberg Depression Rating Scale-Self Rated. Single-nucleotide polymorphism genotyping arrays were used to calculate the genomic risk scores based on large genetic studies of six phenotypes: major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, intelligence, and educational attainment. Linear mixed-effect models were used to test the relationships between the six genetic risk scores and cognitive behavior therapy outcome. Our analyses yielded one significant interaction effect (B = 0.09, p < 0.001): the autism spectrum disorder genetic risk score correlated with Montgomery Åsberg Depression Rating Scale-Self Rated changes during treatment, and the higher the autism spectrum disorder genetic load, the less the depressive symptoms decreased over time. The genetic risk scores for the other psychiatric and cognitive traits were not related to depressive symptom severity or change over time. Our preliminary results indicated, as expected, that the genomics of the response of patients with major depression to cognitive behavior therapy were complex and that future efforts should aim to maximize sample size and limit subject heterogeneity in order to gain a better understanding of the use of genetic risk factors to predict treatment outcome.

Individually tailored internet treatment in routine care: A feasibility study.

INTRODUCTION: Disorder-specific internet treatment, based on cognitive-behavioral therapy, has been a part of routine psychiatric care in Sweden since 2007, provided at the Internet Psychiatry Clinic in Stockholm. Individually tailored treatments, with the opportunity to target more than one condition within the same treatment, has since then been evaluated in randomized trials with promising results. To introduce an individually tailored treatment into a clinical setting originally designed for disorder-specific processes creates challenges, such as how to choose the optimal treatment type for each patient. METHODS: The feasibility of a proposed new routine for assessment and initiation of either a disorder-specific or an individually tailored treatment was tested on patients self-referring to the Internet Psychiatry Clinic during three weeks (N = 66), by exploring the match between comorbid problem areas and patients' preferred treatments with available disorder-specific treatment options, as well as presenting these patients' preferred problem areas to work with in individually tailored treatment, and evaluating any problems with the proposed routine. The feasibility (i.e. satisfaction, credibility, treatment activity, adherence, and preliminary symptom reductions) in the individually tailored treatment were also explored on a smaller subgroup of eight patients. RESULTS: A majority (65%) of patients screened had at least 2 comorbid problem areas, although 25% of these comorbid patients that where allocated with the help of the proposed routine still initiated disorder-specific treatment. The proposed assessment routine functioned satisfactorily within the up and running internet clinic. The individually tailored treatment was promising regarding satisfaction, credibility, adherence, and preliminary reductions in symptoms. A notable challenge encountered was that the platform was not set up to assist with assessment process or outcome monitoring for individually tailored treatment. CONCLUSIONS: It seems feasible to combine individually tailored internet treatment and disorder-specific internet treatment within the same internet clinic. The addition of tailored treatment may prove to increase the number of patients included in treatment.

ICBT in routine care: A descriptive analysis of successful clinics in five countries.

Clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy of internet delivered cognitive behaviour therapy (ICBT) for anxiety and depression. However, relatively little is known about the context, operations, and outcomes of ICBT when administered as part of routine care. This paper describes the setting, relationship to existing health services, procedures for referral, assessment, treatment, patients and outcomes of ICBT clinics in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Canada and Australia. All five clinics provide services free or at low cost to patients. All have systems of governance to monitor quality of care, patient safety, therapist performance and data security. All five clinics include initial assessments by clinicians and between 10 and 20 min of therapist support during each week. Published reports of outcomes all demonstrate large clinical improvement, low rates of deterioration, and high levels of patient satisfaction. Services that require a face to face assessment treat smaller numbers of patients and have fewer patients from remote locations. The paper shows that therapist-guided ICBT can be a valuable part of mental health services for anxiety and depression. Important components of successful ICBT services are rigorous governance to maintain a high standard of clinical care, and the measurement and reporting of outcomes.

Group acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for bipolar disorder and co-existing anxiety - an open pilot study.

Previous studies have supported acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for reducing impairment related to various chronic conditions. ACT may possibly be beneficial for bipolar disorder (BD) with co-existing anxiety, which is associated with a poorer treatment outcome. Efforts are needed to identify suitable psychological interventions for BD and co-existing anxiety. In this open clinical trial, we included 26 patients with BD type 1 or 2 at an outpatient psychiatric unit specializing in affective disorders. The intervention consisted of a 12-session manualized group treatment that included psychoeducation, mindfulness, engaging in values-based behaviour, cognitive defusion, acceptance and relapse prevention modules. Participants completed four self-report questionnaires covering anxiety symptoms (Beck Anxiety Inventory - BAI), depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory - BDI-II), quality of life (Quality of Life Inventory - QOLI) and psychological flexibility (Acceptance and Action Questionnaire - AAQ-2) before, during and after the treatment. At post-treatment, the participants reported significant improvements in all outcome measures, with large effects (Cohen's d between 0.73 and 1.98). The mean reduction in anxiety symptoms was 45%. At post-treatment, 96% of the patients were classified as responders on at least one of the outcome measures. A limitation is that the trial is uncontrolled. The results suggest that ACT has the potential to be an effective treatment for BD patients with co-existing anxiety. Further randomized studies are warranted.

Predicting Outcome in Internet-Based Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Major Depression: A Large Cohort Study of Adult Patients in Routine Psychiatric Care.

BACKGROUND: Although the effectiveness of therapist-guided internet-based cognitive behaviour therapy (ICBT) for treating depression has been well documented, knowledge of outcome predictors and risk factors associated with lower treatment response is limited, especially when the treatment has been conducted within a naturalistic clinical setting. Identification of such factors is important for clinicians when making treatment recommendations. METHODS: Data from a large cohort (N = 1738) of adult outpatients having been treated with ICBT for depression at an outpatient psychiatric clinic were analysed. A multilevel modelling approach was used to identify patient and treatment variables associated with the speed of recovery during treatment using weekly measurements of the Montgomery Åsberg Depression Rating Scale Self-Rated (MADRS-S). OUTCOMES: Adhering to the treatment, perceiving it as credible and working full-time emerged as predictors of a faster pace of recovery and were also associated with a lower level of depression at the end of treatment. Higher pre-treatment depression and sleep problems were associated with a greater improvement rate, but predicted higher depression after treatment. Having a history of psychotropic medication was associated with both slower improvement and higher post-treatment depression. CONCLUSION: Perceived credibility of ICBT is a strong predictor of treatment response. Assessing patient beliefs and expectations may be a useful aid for clinicians when identifying those who are more or less likely to benefit from ICBT. Helping patients improve expectations prior to treatment may be an important goal for clinicians during the initial assessment phase.

D-Cycloserine vs Placebo as Adjunct to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Interaction With Antidepressants: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

IMPORTANCE: It is unclear whether d-cycloserine (DCS), a partial N-methyl-d-aspartate agonist that enhances fear extinction, can augment the effects of exposure-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). OBJECTIVES: To examine whether DCS augments the effects of CBT for OCD and to explore (post hoc) whether concomitant antidepressant medication moderates the effects of DCS. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A 12-week, double-blind randomized clinical trial with 3-month follow-up conducted at an academic medical center between September 4, 2012, and September 26, 2013. Participants included 128 adult outpatients with a primary diagnosis of OCD and a Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) score of 16 or higher. Concurrent antidepressant medication was permitted if the dose had been stable for at least 2 months prior to enrollment and remained unchanged during the trial. The main analysis was by intention-to-treat population. INTERVENTIONS: All participants received a previously validated Internet-based CBT protocol over 12 weeks and were randomized to receive either 50 mg of DCS or placebo, administered 1 hour before each of 5 exposure and response prevention tasks. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Clinician-administered Y-BOCS score at week 12 and at 3-month follow-up. Remission was defined as a score of 12 or lower on the Y-BOCS. RESULTS: In the primary intention-to-treat analyses, DCS did not augment the effects of CBT compared with placebo (mean [SD] clinician-rated Y-BOCS score, DCS: 13.86 [6.50] at week 12 and 12.35 [7.75] at 3-month follow-up; placebo: 11.77 [5.95] at week 12 and 12.37 [6.68] at 3-month follow-up) but showed a significant interaction with antidepressants (clinician-rated Y-BOCS, B = -1.08; Z = -2.79; P = .005). Post hoc analyses revealed that antidepressants significantly impaired treatment response in the DCS group but not the placebo group, at both posttreatment and follow-up (clinician-rated Y-BOCS: t62 = -3.00; P = .004; and t61 = -3.49; P < .001, respectively). In the DCS group, a significantly greater proportion of antidepressant-free patients achieved remission status at follow-up (60% [95% CI, 45%-74%]) than antidepressant-medicated patients (24% [95% CI, 9%-48%]) (P = .008). Antidepressants had no effect in the placebo group (50% [95% CI, 36%-64%] remission rate in both groups). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The findings suggest that antidepressants may interact with DCS to block its facilitating effect on fear extinction. Use of DCS may be a promising CBT augmentation strategy but only in antidepressant-free patients with OCD. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01649895.