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Bipolar DisorderNCT02402010

Pilot Study of Adjunctive Yoga for Bipolar Depression

A study testing Adjunctive Yoga and Enhanced Treatment as Usual in people with Bipolar Disorder, run by Brown University at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

As a practice that incorporates elements of physical exercise, controlled breathing, and meditation, yoga is gaining increasing acceptance as an adjunctive intervention for many psychiatric disorders. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Bipolar Disorder
What is being tested?
Adjunctive Yoga and Enhanced Treatment as Usual
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
37 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Jan 2014to Jan 2016
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • DSM-IV diagnosis of bipolar I or II disorder
  • current major depressive episode
  • at least 4 weeks of stable medication treatment as usual
  • medical clearance for moderate exercise, as documented in a note from a primary care provider
  • ability to understand English sufficiently well to understand consent or assessment instruments

Who cannot join

  • presence of psychiatric symptoms severe enough to warrant inpatient hospitalization
  • current psychotic symptoms
  • active alcohol or substance use disorder
  • pregnancy or plans to become pregnant within the year
  • participation in more than 4 single sessions of yoga in the past 2 years

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Butler Hospital

    Providence, Rhode Island, 02906

Other trials in United States

About this study

As a practice that incorporates elements of physical exercise, controlled breathing, and meditation, yoga is gaining increasing acceptance as an adjunctive intervention for many psychiatric disorders. Although yoga has been frequently recommended as a symptom management strategy for bipolar disorder (BD), and although there is some preliminary evidence that yoga may be helpful in alleviating depressive symptoms, there are no systematic studies on the benefits - and potential risks - of the practice of yoga in BD. The primary aim of the proposed study is to develop and evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and safety of an adjunctive yoga intervention for bipolar depression in a 10 week pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT).

Read the detailed description

Overcoming the burden of depression remains one of the most significant challenges in managing bipolar disorder. Compared to mania, depressive episodes in bipolar disorder are more frequent and considerably longer in length, with individuals spending roughly one-third to one-half of their lives suffering from depressive symptoms. Most of the difficulties with functioning at work, home, or school are due to depressive episodes, and most suicides occur in the context of a depressive (vs. manic) episode. Medication treatment of bipolar depression is not straightforward. Some individuals have a poor response to mood stabilizing medications, experience switches into mania as a result of antidepressant use, and have trouble taking their medications as prescribed. Thus, there remains a need for treatments that individuals with bipolar depression can use in addition to medication. As a practice that incorporates elements of physical exercise, controlled breathing, and meditation, hatha yoga has frequently been recommended as a way to manage bipolar disorder symptoms. There are numerous reasons why hatha yoga may be helpful for bipolar depression. First, there is some evidence that hatha yoga is useful for unipolar depression. Second, it is possible that yoga may help individuals with bipolar disorder regulate their daily routines, decrease negative depressive thoughts, and have a positive impact on biological mechanisms related to bipolar disorder. Yet to our knowledge, there have been no published studies on the benefits - and potential risks - of the practice of yoga in bipolar disorder. The primary aim of the proposed pilot study is to develop a 10 week yoga program specifically tailored to bipolar depression. We will develop an instructor manual for teaching classes and a scale for measuring instructor adherence to the manual. We will evaluate the feasibility, acceptability to patients, and safety of this program in a 10 week pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT). In this trial, we will enroll 36 participants with bipolar I/II depression, and randomly assign them to either: 1) the yoga intervention, delivered as an adjunct to treatment as usual; or 2) treatment as usual enhanced with a publicly-available bipolar disorder self-help book (ETAU). In a preliminary fashion, we will examine whether the yoga classes (compared to ETAU) appear promising in terms of reduced symptom severity and improved quality of life.

Being tested
Adjunctive Yoga, Enhanced Treatment as Usual
Medical subject headings
Bipolar Disorder

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Adjunctive YogaBehavioural

  • Enhanced Treatment as UsualBehavioural

Study groups in NCT02402010
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Adjunctive YogaExperimentalParticipants may be randomized to receive up to 10 weeks of group yoga class, as an adjunct to medication treatment as usual provided by community clinicians.
Receives: Behavioral: Adjunctive Yoga
Enhanced Treatment as UsualOtherThose randomized to the Enhanced Treatment as Usual arm will follow their usual treatment plans in the community, with enhanced monitoring of symptoms and functioning through regular study assessments. With a release of information, we will provide community clinicians with a standardized report that summarizes level of symptom severity and risk, designed to aid in continuity of care.
Receives: Behavioral: Enhanced Treatment as Usual

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Clinician Administered

    Measured: 10 weeks

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Altman Self-Rating Mania Scale

    Measured: 10 weeks

  2. World Health Organization (WHO) Disability Assessment Schedule-II

    Measured: 10 weeks

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted30 Mar 2015 (estimated)
  2. Study startJan 2014
  3. Primary completionJan 2016
  4. Study completionJan 2016

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
37 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02402010
Sponsor's protocol ID
IRB1401-001
Status last verified
Jan 2016
First submitted
25 Mar 2015
Last updated
12 Jan 2016
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Adjunctive Yoga and Enhanced Treatment as Usual in people with Bipolar Disorder, run by Brown University at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 12 Jan 2016. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Clinician Administered (time frame: 10 weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 12 Jan 2016.

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