Having co-occurring depression and chronic headaches is challenging and can greatly impact one's professional, personal, family, and social life. People living with chronic headaches are often at a greater risk of having comorbid psychiatric disorders (depression, anxiety), reduced quality of life, and impaired functioning because of under-diagnosis, misdiagnosis or under-treatment of both chronic conditions. This study is a pilot clinical trial that will compare the effectiveness of a brief cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) depression intervention to a care as usual (control) group. The aim of the study is to determine how well the CBT intervention will reduce the frequency, severity and level of disability of both the headaches and depression symptoms.
STUDY LOCATIONS: (A) University of Georgia College of Education in Athens, GA (B) Henry Ford Hospital - Main campus in Detroit, MI. * For the MI participants, you must be willing to travel to Detroit for the intervention if you choose to participate and are assigned to the treatment group. \*\*Please contact me with any questions about the study.\*\* Background: This research focuses on emphasizing alternative treatment approaches to underserved and marginalized groups. This study is a randomized pilot intervention to treat a community sample with co-occurring depression and chronic pain (i.e. headaches/migraines) - since they are at an increased risk for impaired functioning, comorbid psychiatric disorders and reduced quality of life.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
22
The 4-session CBT treatment will include receipt of a manualized cognitive behavioral intervention, delivered individually, to treat the depression symptoms (e.g. cognitive restructuring, behavioral activation) and teach adaptive coping strategies to manage their depression. Ideally, the intervention will also positively affect their chronic headaches (i.e. reduction of headache frequency, severity and level of disability). Each session is approximately 60 minutes with specific, reflective and guided activities related to a specific module within the intervention.
University of Georgia
Athens, Michigan, United States
Henry Ford Hospital
Detroit, Michigan, United States
Mean change in "Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-2)"
A 21-item likert scale developed to assess the intensity of depression while also monitoring changes over time.
Time frame: Initial 4-week change from pre-intervention to post-intervention & at 4-week post-intervention follow-up
Mean change in "Headache Disability Index"
A 27-item measure that assesses the impact of headache on daily living, headache treatment and the level of disability experienced.
Time frame: Initial 4-week change from pre-intervention to post-intervention & at 4-week post-intervention follow-up
Mean change in "Migraine Disability Assessement Questionnaire (MIDAS)"
A 7-item questionnaire developed to assess the severity of disability related to migraines within the past 3 months, in 3 domains: school/paid work, household chores, \& family/social/leisure activities
Time frame: Initial 4-week change from pre-intervention to post-intervention & at 4-week post-intervention follow-up
Mean change in "Headache Management Self-Efficacy Scale Adapted for Recurrent Headaches (HSES)"
A 25-item likert scale developed for recurrent headache sufferers to assess an individual's self-efficacy in preventing their headaches.
Time frame: Initial 4-week change from pre-intervention to post-intervention & at 4-week post-intervention follow-up
Mean change in "Headache Specific Locus of Control (HSLoC)"
A 33-item Likert scale designed to assess an individual's perceptions (locus of control) about their headache problems and headache relief on 3 dimensions: individual behavior (internal factor), healthcare professionals (external factor), or chance factors.
Time frame: Initial 4-week change from pre-intervention to post-intervention & at 4-week post-intervention follow-up
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