Summary
Why did we run this study?
Depression is an extremely common mental health problem that is most commonly treated with antidepressant drugs. Unfortunately, some people continue to feel depressed even though they have taken antidepressants for a while.
A new type of therapy, called Radically Open Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (RO-DBT), was developed to treat these problems. Standard DBT was originally developed to help people with borderline personality disorder or people who harmed themselves. However, newers studies showed that RO-DBT might help people suffering from depression for whom anti-depressants do not seem to help.
Radically Open Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (RO-DBT)
This treatment programme is a combination of Eastern meditative practice in mindfulness and existing cognitive behavioural techniques. Standard DBT was originally developed by Dr Marsha Linehan, Professor of Psychology at the University of Washington, for clients who had a long history of attempts at their life and/or had Borderline Personality Disorder.
Based on 20 years of experience and research studies Professor Thomas Lynch from the University of Southampton has developed a new treatment called Radically Open Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (RO-DBT), which is aimed at treating clients with treatment-resistant and chronic depression; these are clients for whom anti-depressant medication and other forms of psychological therapy do not relieve depression symptoms.
A proportion of clients suffering from treatment-resistant and chronic depression have problems such as being perfectionist, rigid, or avoiding risks. These symptoms are difficult to treat and clients with these problems can respond poorly to both drug therapies and psychological treatments like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). RO-DBT aims to target these problems.
Contact Details
Trial Manager / Lead Contact: Dr Roelie Hempel
Email: r.hempel@soton.ac.uk
Website: http://www.reframed.org.uk
ISCRTN Number: ISRCTN85784627;