Submitted by la334 on Fri, 08/11/2024 - 15:26
A groundbreaking initiative is underway across England aimed at tackling depression in teenagers.
The ATTEND programme, led by Professors Tamsin Ford (University of Cambridge) and Patrick Smith (King’s College London), seeks to provide an innovative, family-inclusive approach to mental health care in the form of a new intervention called Mindfulness for Adolescents and Carers (MAC). This large-scale collaboration involves researchers, clinicians, and families in Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, London, Devon, Sussex, Nottingham, and Oxford.
A Growing Mental Health Crisis
Depression among teenagers is a severe issue in the UK, affecting approximately 140,000 young people aged 15-19. Only about 35,000 receive treatment, and sadly, 14,000 do not respond, while an additional 8,000 relapse after initial success. This data highlights an urgent need for more effective and sustainable solutions.
Building on a Proven Model: MBCT
The MAC intervention is based on the highly regarded Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), an evidence-based treatment recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for adults with recurrent depression. MBCT combines mindfulness techniques with cognitive behavioural approaches to help individuals avoid relapse. MBCT teaches people to tune into and manage negative thought patterns that can precipitate or maintain depression and pull themselves out of them by focusing on the present moment.
Professors Ford and Smith and their team have been adapting MBCT to make it more engaging and effective for teenagers. Unlike traditional MBCT, MAC includes sessions for teens and their parents or carers, ensuring a family-centred approach.
Supporting Parents to Help Teens
Supporting a teenager with depression can be incredibly challenging for families. Parents often struggle to know how to help their children best. Recognising this, MAC offers separate, parallel training for parents or carers alongside the teens’ sessions. This equips parents with the tools to understand better and support their child’s recovery while also potentially improving their own mental health and family relationships.
How the MAC Intervention Works
MAC groups consist of eight weekly skills-based sessions in person or online. Additionally, the ATTEND programme is co-developing an app with families to help participants reinforce the skills they learn between sessions.
A Nationwide Trial
While MBCT is well-established for adults, its effectiveness for teenagers is still being explored. The ATTEND programme is currently undergoing a large-scale trial across England, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). This trial aims to assess whether MAC is more effective than the current NHS treatments available for depression.
The trial involves 480 teenagers and their parents, half of whom will participate in the MAC groups while the other half will continue with their usual care. Outcomes such as recovery rates, relapse prevention, and cost-effectiveness will be compared and measured through online questionnaires completed over a year. Participants are also offered a financial incentive of £60 each for completing the study.
Aims and Future Impact
The primary goal of the ATTEND programme is to determine whether the MAC intervention can help teenagers recover from low mood or depression and prevent relapses. Researchers are also interested in exploring how the intervention affects family relationships and the mental health of both teens and their parents. Another aim is to assess whether MAC can be integrated into NHS services, ensuring that it is accessible and sustainable for widespread use if proven effective.
Collaborative Design with Those Who Know Best
Crucially, young people and parents who have experienced depression have been involved in the design of the ATTEND programme from the beginning. Their input has ensured that the programme is tailored to the needs of families and is engaging for both teens and their carers.
How to Get Involved
The ATTEND team is currently recruiting 15- to 18-year-olds experiencing depression or low mood who have received some treatment but have not fully recovered to participate in the trial in Cambridge and Peterborough, London, Devon, Sussex, Nottingham, and Oxford. If you or someone you know is interested in participating, please visit https://attendstudy.org/ to learn more about how to join this vital research.
With the ATTEND programme, researchers hope to bring fresh insights and better treatment options to teenagers and their families.
