Effectiveness of a Mobile Technology Intervention for the Treatment of Depression

Summary

Background: Depression is a usual comorbid event associated to chronic diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes, constituting an important public health problem, with negative consequences for patients' quality of life and self-care, as well as for compliance with medical treatment. In low and middle income countries depression is often unrecognized and untreated, and there is a lack of human resources to treat depression and other mental problems in these health care systems.

Aim: The present study aims to test a 6 week low-intensity psychological intervention (CONEMO) delivered via an applicative for smartphones for people with depressive symptoms and co-morbid diabetes and/or hypertension recruited in primary health care units, in São Paulo (Brazil).

Conditions

• Depression
• Diabetes
• Hypertension

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

CONEMO

The study intervention has two components: the smartphone application CONEMO and primary care nurses monitoring patients' adherence to the intervention. CONEMO is a 6-week low-intensity behavior activation program delivered in 18 sessions that include messages related to the treatment goals, motivating them to do certain activities, helping to select and plan activities and messages related to psychological skills that facilitate the incorporation of activities in everyday life and to tackle obstacles that hinder patients to be more active. Primary care nurses are responsible for training participants to use the CONEMO app, monitoring patients' adherence to CONEMO, calling patients when they are non-adherent, and giving technical support when necessary.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

  collaborator NIH

• Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia

  collaborator OTHER

• London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

  collaborator OTHER

• Northwestern University

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Sao Paulo General Hospital

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Ricardo Araya, PhD · London School of Medicine

• Lisa Colpe, PhD · National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

21 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2016-09-19

Primary Completion

2018-03-31

Completion

2018-08-31

Countries

• Brazil

Study Locations