Online program may help stop teen depression
Washington: An online intervention programme can help prevent depressive episodes among adolescents who are most at risk, a study has found.
Although up to 20 per cent of adolescents experience a depressive episode each year, the medical community has struggled to implement programmes that effectively prevent depression.
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago in the US have worked to fill this gap by conducting clinical trials to evaluate and compare interventions.
The study, published in JAMA Network Open, highlights the positive effect of CATCH- IT, a web- based intervention.
The multicentre, randomised clinical trial compared the CATCH- IT intervention — which consisted of depressionspecific online learning modules, motivational interviews and coaching — with a control intervention.
The control
The online intervention programme can help prevent depressive episodes among adolescents who are most at risk, a study has found
intervention ◗ consisted of general health education and was similarly delivered through online learning modules.
More than 350 adolescents ages 13 to 18 from a mix of rural and urban areas were enrolled in the trial. Participants had either a history of depression or depressive symptoms, which were measured and assigned a score during screening.