Project details

Summary

What is the study about?

Depression is a common problem in young people, and around one in 5 teenagers will have depression at least once by the age of 18. Symptoms can include sadness, irritability, loss of interest and pleasure in activities, tiredness, loss of confidence, trouble with concentration and sleep, and changes in appetite. Low mood can affect young people’s lives including their relationships with others, education, and physical health. 

Emotional disorders in young people have been increasing, with more need for support since the covid-19 pandemic. However even before the pandemic, only a quarter of children and young people with mental health disorders could get help; even when young people are seen by specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), they often have to wait a long time for specialist therapy.

Behavioural activation (BA) is a type of therapy that works for depressed adults, but we don’t know how it works in young people. This study uses a new version of BA which is an online 8 session workbook, that can be used by therapists in CAMHS. 

What are you trying to find out?

We want to find out if behavioural activation (BA) works for young people with low mood. There are a lot of keen therapists in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) who would like to give better help to young people but need more training. We would like to give these therapists training in our BA. We also want to find out if our BA is good value for money, how easy it is to use for young people, carers and clinicians, and if it can reduce long waits for other therapy.

We want to look at the difference between 2 types of support for young people with depression, who have just been referred to CAMHS. If you agree to take part in the study the child will get one of these treatments: 

1. BA plus psychoeducation (PE, which is information about depression), and CAMHS usual care OR
2. PE and CAMHS usual care.

We will offer ‘blended’ BA, that is, after the first BA session in the clinic, young people will choose whether they would prefer to have other sessions online, by phone, or in the clinic. However, there may be times when the therapist may ask that the young person attend the clinic, for example, if their mood has become worse. 

What does taking part involve?

1. You will meet with a researcher for your first research appointment. They will ask you some questions about yourself and how you are feeling. This should take up to 90 minutes. 
2. You will also be asked to complete a symptom and wellbeing assessment, which can be done in the same appointment or in a second appointment (up to 90 minutes). 
3. A computer will decide randomly which treatment you will receive. The researcher will contact you to let you know. This will either be behaviour activation (BA) / psychoeducation (PE) / usual care or PE/usual care.
4. You will receive either BA/PE/usual care or PE/usual care to help you with your low mood.
5. 12 weeks after you start the study, and then at 6 months, you will meet with the researcher again to see how things have been and answer some of the same questions (these appointments will have less questions than the first). You may also be invited to take part in a short interview (if you are happy to do so). 
6. 12 months after your first visit with the researcher, most young people will also be invited to meet with them again to see how things have been and answer the same questions (this will be the last visit with the researcher). 

As a thank you for taking part, you will get £30 for the first appointment, which will be the longest assessment. You will then receive:

• £15 at 12 weeks
• £20 at 6 months
• £15 at 12 months.

Who is it for?

• Young people aged 11 – 17 years 
• Low mood
• Recently referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)

We hope to find around 528 young people across England to take part.

Why is it important? 

We want to find out if behavioural activation (BA) works for young people with low mood. There are a lot of keen therapists in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) who would like to give better help to young people but need more training. We would like to give these therapists training in our BA. We also want to find out if our BA is good value for money, how easy it is to use for young people, carers and clinicians, and if it can reduce long waits for other therapy.

How can I find out more?

You can find out more information about taking part in this study by downloading the key documents at the top of this page. You can also find out more information on the project website here.

If you are interested in taking part in this study, or have questions for the research team, click the button below to email the research team:

Email the research team