Comparing Individual Therapies for Veterans With Depression, PTSD, and Panic Disorder

Summary

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a brief, efficient, and effective treatment for individuals with depressive/anxiety disorders. However, CBT is largely underutilized within the Department of Veterans Affairs due to the cost and burden of trainings necessary to deliver all of the related disorder-specific treatments (DSTs). Transdiagnostic Behavior Therapy (TBT), in contrast, is specifically designed to address numerous distinct disorders within a single protocol in Veterans with depressive/anxiety disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder. The proposed research seeks to evaluate the efficacy of TBT by assessing psychiatric symptomatology and related impairment outcomes in Veterans with depressive/anxiety disorders via a randomized controlled trial of TBT and existing DSTs in Veterans with major depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and panic disorder. Assessments will be completed at pre-, mid-, and post-treatment, and at 6-month follow-up. Process variables also will be investigated.

Conditions

• Major Depressive Disorder
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
• Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Transdiagnostic Behavior Therapy

TBT was developed to address transdiagnostic avoidance via the use of four different types of exposure techniques (situational/in-vivo, physical/interoceptive, thought/imaginal, and \[positive\] emotional/behavioral activation). From the transdiagnostic avoidance perspective, the four exposure practices are matched to the type(s) of avoidance experienced by patients based upon their cluster of symptoms/disorders.

BEHAVIORAL

Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD

CPT is a well established evidence-based psychotherapy for PTSD. CPT focuses on teaching patients to evaluate and change the upsetting thoughts that they have had since their trauma.

BEHAVIORAL

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for MDD

CBT for MDD is a well established evidence-based psychotherapy for depression. CBT for MDD focuses teaching patients how to change their behaviors and challenge their negative thoughts to improve their mood.

BEHAVIORAL

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Panic Disorder

CBT for Panic Disorder is a well established evidence-based psychotherapy. CBT for Panic Disorder focuses teaching patients how to change their behaviors through exposure practices and challenge their anxious thoughts to reduce their experience of panic attacks and avoidance.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• VA Office of Research and Development

  lead FED

Principal Investigators

• Daniel F Gros, PhD MA BS · Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston, SC

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

80 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2020-10-01

Primary Completion

2025-01-01

Completion

2025-03-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations