Effectiveness of a Multiple Sclerosis (MS) specific psychological inte

Other measures (1)

Background and study aims Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common diseases of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). Healthy nerves are coated in a fatty casing (myelin sheath) which helps messages to travel quickly and smoothly along nerves. When a person is suffering from MS, the immune system, which normally helps to protect against infection, attacks the myelin sheath, stripping it from the nerves (demyelination). This demyelination means that messages cannot travel along the nerves effectively, causing a range of disturbances including loss of vision, problems with balance and coordination and weakness in the arms or legs. Depression is very common in people with MS and has been reported to be particularly bad at the time of diagnosis or the early stages of the disease. Cognitive behavioural therapy (BCT) is a type of taking therapy which works by changing the way a person thinks and behaves. There is currently little to no research looking at the effectiveness of CBT in the treatment of depression in the first two years following diagnosis. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an eight week course of tailored CBT for people with MS suffering from depression. Who can participate? Adults with MS who are suffering from depression. What does the study involve? Participants are randomly allocated to one of two groups. Those in the first group take part in an eight week face to face course of CBT based therapy. His involves weekly sessions lasting for two hours (1.5 hours for the first session), and help to improve quality of life, sleep difficulties, MS illness acceptance, active coping skills, social support and resilience. Those in the second group receive treatment as usual for the duration of the study. At the start of the study and then again after 8 ad 20 weeks, participants in both groups complete a range of questionnaires in order to assess their depressive symptoms and quality of life. What are the possible benefits and risks of participating? Participants may benefit from improvement in their depressive symptoms. There are no notable risks involved with taking part in the study. Where is the study run from? Royal Melbourne Hospital (Australia) When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for? October 2011 to December 2016 Who is funding the study? University of Melbourne (Australia) Who is the main contact? Dr Litza Kiropoulos