Therapeutic Massage for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (CALM)
Status and phase
Conditions
Treatments
Study type
Funder types
Identifiers
Details and patient eligibility
About
The purpose of this study is to compare the relative effectiveness of three relaxation treatments (therapeutic massage, thermotherapy, and time in a relaxing environment) in reducing anxiety in persons with Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
Full description
Anxiety and stress are costly problems that afflict millions of American adults. Together, they are among the most common reasons for which adults use complementary and alternative medical (CAM) therapies as well as more conventional relaxation therapies. Although massage is one of the most popular CAM treatments for anxiety, its effectiveness for this problem has never been rigorously evaluated. This study is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of massage as a treatment for a diagnosed anxiety disorder. Massage will be compared with two other relaxing treatments: thermotherapy and time in a relaxing environment, which reflect the types of activities that persons with anxiety might try to relieve their symptoms.
Enrollment
Sex
Ages
Volunteers
Inclusion criteria
- Member of Group Health, Seattle metropolitan area
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder confirmed by SCID
- At least moderate anxiety
Exclusion criteria
- Serious mental health co-morbidity
- Any life threatening condition
- Currently receiving psychotherapy
- Substantial alcohol use
- Contraindications for massage
Trial design
Primary purpose
Allocation
Interventional model
Masking
68 participants in 3 patient groups, including a placebo group
Trial contacts and locations
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Data sourced from clinicaltrials.gov
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