Patients will be consented and screened within 2 to 6 months of the index ACS. Patients who have elevated depression (BDI\>=15 or BDI\>=10 assessed twice over two week period) and who continue to meet all of the trial's eligibility criteria will be consented. Through informed consent, both arms of the trial will be described with equipoise as to these approaches to postACS depression care. Patients who consent to randomization will be enrolled in the treatment trial. The intervention phase will be 6 months, and hence the final outcome assessments will be performed approximately 9 months after the index ACS. Interim measures of depression will be obtained at 2 and 4 months post-enrollment. Major adverse cardiac events and all-cause mortality will also be ascertained at 6 months post-enrollment. Quality assurance by an independent medical event adjudication committee using prospective guidelines will be employed.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
150
Problem Solving Therapy (PST) will be administered by a trained provider. The concepts of PST will be taught to the participant in the first session and reinforced across subsequent sessions. Sessions will last between 30 and 60 minutes each and continue weekly for the duration of the study (6 months).
Antidepressants should be started at the lowest dose, but should be adjusted upward to be within the therapeutic range within 1 week,with further adjustment higher in the therapeutic range possible at 3-4 weeks. Dosage of the first medication selected will be in the therapeutic range by 3 weeks of the initial step, as tolerated. If a patient cannot tolerate a particular treatment (i.e., intolerable side effects even with careful titration and clinical management), a switch to an alternative antidepressant or PST-PC after 2-4 weeks and 'restart' step 1. Sertraline: 25-150qam Citalopram: 10-40qam Bupropion: 100-450qam
Participants will receive standard of care from the current physicians
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Washington University
St Louis, Missouri, United States
Columbia University Medical Center
New York, New York, United States
Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Cardiac Center at Mercer Bucks
Yardley, Pennsylvania, United States
Depressive Symptom Reduction
Symptoms of depression were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). This 21-question, multiple choice self-report instrument includes items pertaining to symptoms of depression, including hopelessness and irritability, physical symptoms such as fatigue, and thoughts such as guilt. Each item has at a set of four possible responses, ranging in intensity for least intense to most intense. The total score is calculated by adding the responses to each item. Higher scores indicate more severe depressive symptoms. The total score on the scale ranges from 0 to 63. Total scores on the scale of less 10 indicate minimal depression; total scores between 10 and 15 indicate mild depression; and total scores greater than 16 indicate a probable clinical diagnosis of depression.
Time frame: Change from depression at baseline to depression at 6-months
Cost for Healthcare Utilization (Psychiatric Medications, Hospitalizations, Cardiac Procedures, Outpatient Services)
Time frame: 6 months after randomization
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