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Completed

NCT Number: NCT02371291

Memory Flexibility Training for Depression

Our collection of memories for personal experiences plays an important role in shaping our sense of who we are as people. These memories, termed autobiographical memories, can also be helpful in social situations, for sharing the details of our experiences with other people, reminiscing about pleasant times and solving problems by remembering what has and hasn't worked in the past. Different types of autobiographical memory are helpful to us depending on the particular situation the investigators are in at the time. Recent research has shown that experiencing depressed mood can affect how we relate to our autobiographical memories, so that instead of providing a rich source of personal information in a helpful and flexible way, the types of memories that come to mind are more narrowly focused on difficult or negative experiences. This can cause low mood to persist over time.

The purpose of this study is to test a newly-developed therapeutic training package for depressed mood (MemFlex), designed to encourage helpful and flexible ways of relating to autobiographical memories. The MemFlex programme consists of a one-to-one orientation session with the researcher to introduce the training package, followed by a workbook that is completed at home.

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Key information

Conditions

Major Depressive Disorder Depressive Disorder Depressive Disorder, Major Mental Disorders Mood Disorders

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 1 / Phase 2

Primary location

Cambridge and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom

Loading trial locations.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Currently experiencing Major Depressive Episode, indexed on the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV (SCID; First et al., 1996).
  • Score of 13 or above on the Beck Depression Inventory (Beck et al., 1996)

Exclusion criteria

  • SCID assessment indicates they are experiencing another mood disorder, psychosis, current alcohol or substance dependence/abuse.
  • Diagnosed Axis II disorder or brain injury (assessed by participant report)

Treatment and study plan

Memory Flexibility Training

Behavioral

As in experimental arm description.

Psychoeducation

Behavioral

As in experimental arm description.

Primary outcomes

  1. Depressive Status

    Time frame: Three months after completion of the workbook

  2. Change in score on the Beck Depression Inventory (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996) from baseline

    Time frame: Three months after completion of the workbook

    Self report measure of depression symptoms

Secondary outcomes

  1. Depression free days

    Time frame: Three months after completion of the workbook

    Number of depression free days from post to follow-up.

  2. Change in memory flexibility from baseline, Score on the alternating instructions autobiographical memory task (Dritschel et al., 2013)

    Time frame: Three months after completion of the workbook

    Score on the alternating instructions autobiographical memory task (Dritschel et al., 2013)

Other outcomes

  1. Change in Rumination as measured by Rumination Response Scale

    Time frame: 4-6 weeks after beginning the workbook

    Rumination Response Scale (Treynor, Gonzalez, Nolen-Hoeksema, 2003);

  2. Change in Cognitive Avoidance, as measured by Cognitive Avoidance Questionnaire

    Time frame: 4-6 weeks after beginning the workbook

    Cognitive Avoidance Questionnaire (Sexton & Dugas, 2008)

  3. Change in Verbal Fluency as measured by the Verbal Fluency Task

    Time frame: 4-6 weeks after beginning the workbook

    Verbal Fluency Task

  4. Change in Anxiety symptoms, as measured by the Beck Anxiety Inventory

    Time frame: 4-6 weeks after beginning the workbook

    Beck Anxiety Inventory

  5. Change in Hopelessness, as measured by Beck Hopelessness Scale

    Time frame: 4-6 weeks after beginning the workbook

    Beck Hopelessness Scale

  6. Change in Problem solving, as measured by the Means-Ends Problem Solving task

    Time frame: 4-6 weeks after beginning the workbook

    Means-Ends Problem Solving task (Lyubomirsky & Nolen-Hoeksema, 2003)

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit

Other Gov

Registry information

Official study title

A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Memory Flexibility Training to Psychoeducation in the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder

Important dates

Study start
2015
Primary completion
2016
Study completion
2017
First posted
Feb 25, 2015
Registry last updated
Sep 11, 2017

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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