Treatment of Resistant Depression in Adolescents (TORDIA): week 24 outcomes

Treatment-resistant depression in adolescents: review and updates on clinical management

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) in adolescents is prevalent and impairing. We here review the definition, prevalence, clinical significance, risk factors, and management of TRD in adolescents. Risk factors associated with TRD include characteristics of depression (severity, level of hopelessness, and suicidal ideation), psychiatric and medical comorbidities, environmental factors (family conflict, maternal depression, and history of abuse), and pharmacokinetics and other biomarkers. Management options include review of the adequacy of the initial treatment, re-assessment for the above-noted factors that might predispose to treatment resistance, switching antidepressants, and augmentation with medication or psychotherapy. Other modalities, such as electroconvulsive therapy, vagal nerve stimulation, and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, are also reviewed.

Treatment-resistant depression in adolescents: is the addition of cognitive behavioral therapy of benefit?

Background

Many young people with major depression fail first-line treatments. Treatment-resistant depression has various definitions in the literature but typically assumes nonresponse to medication. In young people, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the recommended first-line intervention, thus the definition of treatment resistance should be expanded. Therefore, our aim was to synthesize the existing evidence of any interventions for treatment-resistant depression, broadly defined, in children and adolescents and to investigate the effectiveness of CBT in this context.

Methods

We used Cochrane Collaboration methodology, with electronic searches of Medline, PsycINFO, Embase, and the Cochrane Depression Anxiety and Neurosis Group trials registers. Only randomized controlled trials were included, and were assessed for risk of bias. Meta- analysis was undertaken where possible and appropriate.

Results

Of 953 articles retrieved, four trials were eligible for inclusion. For one study, only the trial registration document was available, because the study was never completed. All other studies were well conducted with a low risk of bias, although one study had a high dropout rate. Two studies assessed the effect of adding CBT to medication. While an assertive trial of antidepressants does appear to lead to benefit, when compared with placebo, there was no significant advantage, in either study, or in a meta-analysis of data from these trials, that clearly demonstrated an additional benefit of CBT. The third trial showed little advantage of a tricyclic antidepressant over placebo in the context of an inpatient admission.

Conclusion

Few randomized controlled trials have investigated interventions for treatment-resistant depression in young people, and results from these show modest benefit from antidepressants with no additional benefit over medication from CBT. Overall, there is a lack of evidence about effective interventions to treat young people who have failed to respond to evidence-based interventions for depression. Research in this area is urgently required.

Suicide attempts and nonsuicidal self-injury in the treatment of resistant depression in adolescents: findings from the TORDIA study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the clinical and prognostic significance of suicide attempts (SAs) and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) in adolescents with treatment-resistant depression.

METHOD

Depressed adolescents who did not improve with an adequate SSRI trial (N = 334) were randomized to a medication switch (SSRI or venlafaxine), with or without cognitive-behavioral therapy. NSSI and SAs were assessed at baseline and throughout the 24-week treatment period.

RESULTS

Of the youths, 47.4% reported a history of self-injurious behavior at baseline: 23.9% NSSI alone, 14% NSSI+SAs, and 9.5% SAs alone. The 24-week incidence rates of SAs and NSSI were 7% and 11%, respectively; these rates were highest among youths with NSSI+SAs at baseline. NSSI history predicted both incident SAs (hazard ratio [HR]= 5.28, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.80-15.47, z = 3.04, p = .002) and incident NSSI (HR = 7.31, z = 4.19, 95% CI = 2.88-18.54, p < .001) through week 24, and was a stronger predictor of future attempts than a history of SAs (HR = 1.92, 95% CI = 0.81-4.52, z = 2.29, p = .13). In the most parsimonious model predicting time to incident SAs, baseline NSSI history and hopelessness were significant predictors, adjusting for treatment effects. Parallel analyses predicting time to incident NSSI through week 24 identified baseline NSSI history and physical and/or sexual abuse history as significant predictors.

CONCLUSIONS

NSSI is a common problem among youths with treatment-resistant depression and is a significant predictor of future SAs and NSSI, underscoring the critical need for strategies that target the prevention of both NSSI and suicidal behavior.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Treatment of SSRI-Resistant Depression in Adolescents (TORDIA). URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique Identifier: NCT00018902.

Reliance on credibility to prioritise interventions can lead to sub-optimal management strategies

When there is more than one possible intervention, clinicians have to decide which intervention to offer first. This paper hypothesises that where there is more than one intervention for which the evidence indicates there is similar effectiveness that selecting the intervention with the lowest credibility first may lead to optimal long-term results.

Improving mood with psychoanalytic and cognitive therapies (IMPACT): a pragmatic effectiveness superiority trial to investigate whether specialised psychological treatment reduces the risk for relapse in adolescents with moderate to severe unipolar depression: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Background

Up to 70% of adolescents with moderate to severe unipolar major depression respond to psychological treatment plus Fluoxetine (20-50 mg) with symptom reduction and improved social function reported by 24 weeks after beginning treatment. Around 20% of non responders appear treatment resistant and 30% of responders relapse within 2 years. The specific efficacy of different psychological therapies and the moderators and mediators that influence risk for relapse are unclear. The cost-effectiveness and safety of psychological treatments remain poorly evaluated.

Methods/Design

Improving Mood with Psychoanalytic and Cognitive Therapies, the IMPACT Study, will determine whether Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or Short Term Psychoanalytic Therapy is superior in reducing relapse compared with Specialist Clinical Care. The study is a multicentre pragmatic effectiveness superiority randomised clinical trial: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy consists of 20 sessions over 30 weeks, Short Term Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy 30 sessions over 30 weeks and Specialist Clinical Care 12 sessions over 20 weeks. We will recruit 540 patients with 180 randomised to each arm. Patients will be reassessed at 6, 12, 36, 52 and 86 weeks. Methodological aspects of the study are systematic recruitment, explicit inclusion criteria, reliability checks of assessments with control for rater shift, research assessors independent of treatment team and blind to randomization, analysis by intention to treat, data management using remote data entry, measures of quality assurance, advanced statistical analysis, manualised treatment protocols, checks of adherence and competence of therapists and assessment of cost-effectiveness. We will also determine whether time to recovery and/or relapse are moderated by variations in brain structure and function and selected genetic and hormone biomarkers taken at entry.

Discussion

The objective of this clinical trial is to determine whether there are specific effects of specialist psychotherapy that reduce relapse in unipolar major depression in adolescents and thereby costs of treatment to society. We also anticipate being able to utilise psychotherapy experience, neuroimaging, genetic and hormone measures to reveal what techniques and their protocols may work best for which patients.

Trial Registration

Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN83033550

Early patterns of symptom change signal remission with interpersonal psychotherapy for depressed adolescents

BACKGROUND

This study examined whether reductions in depression symptoms at different time points over the course of therapy predict remission for depressed adolescents treated with interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-A) or treatment as usual (TAU) delivered in school-based health clinics.

METHODS

Participants were 63 adolescents (ages 12-18) drawn from a randomized controlled clinical trial examining the effectiveness of IPT-A Mufson et al. [2004; Archives of General Psychiatry 61:577-584]. Adolescents were randomized to receive IPT-A or TAU delivered by school-based mental health clinicians. Assessments were completed at baseline and weeks 4, 8, 12, and 16 (or at early termination) and included the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD; Hamilton [1967; British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 6:278-2962]).

RESULTS

Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to identify the time point and degree of reduction in HRSD that best predicted remission (HRSD <7) at the end of the trial (week 16). Week 4 was the best time point for classifying adolescents as likely to remit or not likely to remit for both IPT-A and TAU. A 16.2% reduction in HRSD from baseline represented the best combined sensitivity and specificity in predicting week 16 remission status for adolescents treated with IPT-A. A 24.4% reduction in depressive symptoms represented the best combined sensitivity and specificity in predicting remission status for TAU.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings provide preliminary evidence of one early marker of remission with IPT-A. Replication with larger samples would suggest that depressed adolescents who have not demonstrated at least a 16.2% reduction in their depressive symptoms after 4 weeks of IPT-A may benefit from a change in the treatment plan.

Pharmacokinetically and clinician-determined adherence to an antidepressant regimen and clinical outcome in the TORDIA trial

OBJECTIVE

Nonadherence to antidepressant treatment may contribute to poor outcome and to suicidal adverse events in adolescent depression. We examine the relationship between adherence and both clinical response and suicidal events in participants in the Treatment of Resistant Depression in Adolescents (TORDIA) study.

METHOD

The relationship between adherence to medication and clinical outcome was assessed in 190 treatment-resistant depressed adolescents who were randomized to one of four cells: switch to another selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), switch to venlafaxine, or either of these two medication switches plus cognitive behavioral therapy. Plasma levels of antidepressant drug and metabolites were determined after 6 and 12 weeks of treatment. A twofold or greater variation in the dose-adjusted concentration of drug plus metabolites (level/dose ratio [LDR]) was defined as nonadherence. Nonadherence was also determined by clinician pill counts (CPC) of the proportion of prescribed pills that were unused and was defined as having greater than 30% of the prescribed pills remaining.

RESULTS

LDR and CPC showed low concordance. LDR was unrelated to clinical response. CPC adherence was related to a higher response rate overall (adherent, 63.0% versus nonadherent, 47.2%, p = .03). Approximately half (50.8%) of the sample surveyed showed evidence of nonadherence by CPC. Neither measure of adherence was related to the occurrence of suicidal events or to the pace of decline in suicidal ideation.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinician pill counts may be a relevant measure of adherence that is related to outcome under formal clinical trial conditions in depressed adolescents. Nonadherence appears to be a common and significant source of treatment nonresponse. Clinical Trial Registration Information-Treatment of SSRI-Resistant Depression in Adolescents (TORDIA); http://www.clinicaltrials.gov; NCT00018902.

Long-term outcome of adolescent depression initially resistant to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment: a follow-up study of the TORDIA sample

BACKGROUND

We examined the long-term outcome of participants in the Treatment of SSRI-Resistant Depression in Adolescents (TORDIA) study, a randomized trial of 334 adolescents (aged 12-18 years) with DSM-IV-defined major depressive disorder initially resistant to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) treatment who were subsequently treated for 12 weeks with another SSRI, venlafaxine, another SSRI + cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), or venlafaxine + CBT. Responders then continued with the same treatment through week 24, while nonresponders were given open treatment.

METHOD

For the current study, patients were reassessed 48 (n = 116) and 72 (n = 130) weeks from intake. Data were gathered from February 2001 to February 2007. Standardized diagnostic interviews and measures of depression, suicidal ideation, related psychopathology, and level of functioning were periodically administered. Remission was defined as ≥ 3 weeks with ≤ 1 clinically significant symptom and no associated functional impairment (score of 1 on the adolescent version of the Longitudinal Interval Follow-Up Evaluation [A-LIFE]), and relapse, as ≥ 2 weeks with probable or definite depressive disorder (score of 3 or 4 on the A-LIFE). Mixed-effects regression models were applied to estimate remission, relapse, and functional recovery.

RESULTS

By 72 weeks, an estimated 61.1% of the randomized youths had reached remission. Randomly assigned treatment (first 12 weeks) did not influence remission rate or time to remission, but the group assigned to SSRIs had a more rapid decline in self-reported depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation than those assigned to venlafaxine (P < .03). Participants with more severe depression, greater dysfunction, and alcohol or drug use at baseline were less likely to remit. The depressive symptom trajectory of the remitters diverged from that of nonremitters by the first 6 weeks of treatment (P < .001). Of the 130 participants in remission at week 24, 25.4% relapsed in the subsequent year.

CONCLUSIONS

While most adolescents achieved remission, more than one-third did not, and one-fourth of remitted patients experienced a relapse. More effective interventions are needed for patients who do not show robust improvement early in treatment.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00018902.

Prevention and treatment of child and adolescent depression: challenges and opportunities

OBJECTIVE

To examine the current theoretical rationale and empirical evidence for preventing and treating major depressive disorder in childhood and adolescence.

METHODS

Selective review of recent controlled investigations on the efficacy and safety of preventive and treatment interventions.

RESULTS

Even more than in adults, pediatric clinical trials in depression are dominated by symptomatic improvement with non-specific clinical contact (on average, 50% 'placebo response'). The additional benefit of specific psychotherapeutic or pharmacological treatment is on average modest. Antidepressant medication is effective in speeding up improvement, but more than a third of patients do not reach full remission even after prolonged treatment. The advantage of routinely combining medication with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is unclear. Depressed suicidal adolescents can benefit from CBT and medications. CBT can protect high-risk youths from developing a depressive episode.

CONCLUSIONS

Effective interventions to prevent and treat depression in youth exist, but their therapeutic benefit appears to be, on average, small, possibly due to the clinical heterogeneity subsumed under the current diagnostic construct of depressive disorder. More specifically, targeted interventions tailored to individual clinical and biological characteristics may result in greater effectiveness and overall efficiency.

Dysthymia in a cross-cultural perspective

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Dysthymia is a relatively less-studied condition within the spectrum of depressive disorders. New and important information about its status has emerged in recent scientific literature. This review highlights some of the findings of that literature.

RECENT FINDINGS

Even though studies addressing the cross-cultural validity of dysthymia are being awaited, results of studies using comparable ascertainment procedures suggest that the lifetime and 12-month estimates of the condition may be higher in high-income than in low and middle-income countries. However, the disorder is associated with elevated risks of suicidal outcomes and comparable levels of disability whereever it occurs. Dysthymia commonly carries a worse prognosis than major depressive disorder and comparable or worse clinical outcome than other forms of chronic depression. Whereas there is some evidence that psychotherapy may be less effective than pharmacotherapy in the treatment of dysthymia, the best treatment approach is one that combines both forms of treatment.

SUMMARY

Dysthymia is a condition of considerable public health importance. Our current understanding suggests that it should receive more clinical and research attention. Specifically, the development of better treatment approaches, especially those that can be implemented in diverse populations, deserves research attention.