Memory Flexibility Training for Depression

Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 2; Phase 1

Conditions: Major Depressive Disorder

Treatments: Behavioral: Psychoeducation; Behavioral: Memory Flexibility Training

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02371291

Mrccbu

Details and patient eligibility

About

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.

Enrollment: 60 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

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)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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60 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group

Memory Flexibility Training

Experimental group

Description:

The MemFlex programme draws on cognitive bias modification and memory specificity training techniques (Raes et al., 2009; Dalgleish et al., 2014), and was developed by clinical psychologists. MemFlex is primarily self-guided and aims to reduce autobiographical memory biases associated with depression. The training material is presented over one face-to-face session and eight self-guided sessions. In the initial session, the researcher introduces cued-recall tasks which are used throughout the workbook, and guides the participant in completion of these tasks. When understanding of the basic principles is satisfactory, the researcher assists the participant to set a schedule for completion of the workbook over the following four weeks. The participant will receive weekly emails during this period, encouraging them to complete the workbook. They will also receive a phone call from a team member at the beginning of week three to check progress.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Memory Flexibility Training

Psychoeducation

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

The psychoeducation condition will also complete an initial face-to-face session. This session will cover the symptoms and causes of depression, and the workbook will be introduced. As in the MemFlex condition, the workbook will consist of eight self-guided sessions that the individual will be required to complete over four weeks. The participant will receive weekly emails during this period, encouraging them to complete the workbook. They will also receive a phone call from a team member at the beginning of week three to check progress, and clarify any difficulties with the workbook material. The workbook content will cover the presentation of depression and basic information on factors associated with depression, such as worry, procrastination, and sleep difficulties. Each session consists of information on psychological theories of the topic, followed by a series of questions about the material to ensure participant engagement. The workbook was developed by clinical psychologists.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Psychoeducation