Computerised Intervention/Treatment for Adolescent Depression and Low Mood:

Overview

This study forms the second phase of previous work to examine the effectiveness of computerised Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (cCBT) to treat adolescents with low mood/depression. Depression affects around 2% of adolescents. Antidepressants are not recommended for this age range as a first line treatment because of concerns about their usefulness and side effects. Government guidelines have supported using Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), which is effective and one of the main treatments recommended for depression. It has been suggested that computerised versions of CBT (cCBT) may be effective for treating depression in young people who may prefer this to seeing a therapist face-to-face, but little research exists to date to support this. This study examines the feasibility of running a large scale randomised controlled trial (RCT) to compare a promising cCBT program (Stressbusters) with self-help websites for adolescents with low mood and depression (LMD). Eligible and consenting participants will complete several questionnaires to assess their mood before being randomly assigned to either cCBT (Stressbusters) or equivalent access to selected websites providing self help for LMD. Participants will complete further mood questionnaires 4 and 12 months after treatment completion/withdrawal. We have already recruited 97 individuals to this trial but aim to recruit a further 48 participants to collect further information. We are also keen to find out whether sending participants text messages before sessions and around follow up periods will increase attendance/completion. Therefore all trial participants will receive text messages from the research team during their participation.