Group Medical Visits for Anxiety and Depression

Overseen By Kirsten Penner-Goeke, MD

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Manitoba

Disqualifiers: Bipolar, Personality disorder, Substance use, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

Duration: 6 months

20 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention, Group Medical Visits (GMVs), for patients with depression and anxiety. It also aims to get some initial information on the effectiveness of GMVs on reducing depression and anxiety scores, which will help inform power calculations for a future larger randomized controlled trial (RCT). The main question it aims to answer is: * Are GMVs feasible and acceptable to patients with depression and anxiety? This study consists of a pilot RCT with an intervention and control arm. At enrollment, participants will be randomized to the intervention group, 6 months of GMVs, or to the control group, which consists of "standard client services". For the GMV group, participants will engage in a biweekly virtual group that is similar to a standard psychiatric follow-up. Participants in the control group will receive standard care after a psychiatric assessment, which includes follow-up with their primary care provider (family physician or nurse practitioner), individual psychiatric care if suggested by the psychiatrist who did their psychiatric assessment, and/or a referral to publicly funded therapy groups if interested.

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for adults in Manitoba with primary mental health issues like social anxiety, generalized anxiety, panic disorder, major depressive disorder or persistent depressive disorder. Participants must speak English and commit to a virtual biweekly group for 1.5 hours from a private location with camera access.

Inclusion Criteria

I live in Manitoba and plan to stay for the next 6 months.

I am referred for psychiatric help due to anxiety or depression.

I can attend a 1.5-hour virtual group every two weeks.

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Enrollment

Participants are enrolled and randomized into intervention or control groups

1 week

Treatment

Participants in the intervention group engage in biweekly virtual group medical visits for 6 months

6 months

Biweekly virtual visits

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for satisfaction and symptom severity at months 3 and 6

3 months

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Group Medical Visits

Trial Overview The study tests Group Medical Visits (GMVs) versus standard care for treating depression and anxiety. It's a pilot randomized controlled trial where participants are randomly assigned to either the GMV intervention or control group receiving standard psychiatric follow-ups.

Participant Groups

Group I: Virtual outpatient care Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Group II: Standard client services Active Control 1 Intervention

Participants will follow-up with their primary care provider (family physician or nurse practitioner).

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Manitoba

Lead Sponsor

Trials

628

Recruited

209,000+