Self-help Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Insomnia

Karolinska Institute

Status: Completed

Conditions: Insomnia

Treatments: Behavioral: Self-help CBT-I

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01105052

2008/23-31/4

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether a self-help book for insomnia, with or without therapist support, can improve sleep and alleviate insomnia symptoms in individuals suffering from insomnia, also for persons presenting with different kinds of co-morbid problems.

Full description

CBT has previously been identified as an effective treatment for insomnia. However, there is a lack of trained CBT-therapists, and self-help is beginning to prove useful for many areas of psychological distress. Earlier studies of different kinds of self-help (e.g. computer based and bibliotherapeutic) suggest that many patients do indeed benefit from self-help treatments for insomnia, but there is a need for independent replications. Also, most previous studies have had very strict inclusion criteria, such that for instance only individuals with primary insomnia and no co-morbid problems have been included. A general question in self-help is whether patients need therapist support to benefit from treatment, or if a book is enough to alleviate symptoms.

Enrollment: 133 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Age 18 and above
• Diagnosis of Insomnia (Research Diagnostic Criteria)
• Access to computer
• Ability to read and write Swedish

Exclusion criteria

• Severe psychopathology (e.g. bipolar disorder, suicidality)
• Shift work

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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133 participants in 3 patient groups

Bibliotherapy

Active Comparator group

Description:

A group receiving a self-help book to work on for six weeks with no therapist support.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Self-help CBT-I

Bibliotherapy with support

Experimental group

Description:

A group receiving a self-help book to work on for six weeks, together with brief weekly telephone calls (\<15 minutes) from a therapist.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Self-help CBT-I

Wait-list control group

No Intervention group

Description:

This group receives no intervention until about five months after the two treatment groups, when participants in this group receive the self-help book without therapist support.