A Pilot Study to Assess the Effectiveness of BehaviouRal ActiVation Group Program in Patients With dEpression: BRAVE
A Pilot Study to Assess the Effectiveness of BehaviouRal ActiVation Group Program in Patients With dEpression: BRAVE
The study's primary goal is to assess the effectiveness of behavioural activation in reducing
 depressive symptoms and re-integrate patients with depression into their personal and
 professional lives thus improving quality of life and helping in attaining and maintaining
 remission of depression. It is aimed at helping patients re-engage with several life areas
 that they may have lost in the course of depressive illness. The intervention is centred on
 behavioural activation (BA) with complementary interventions including recreation activities,
 and behavioural modifications. The study question is: in patients with depressive disorder
 attending a specialized hospital based mood disorders clinic, does the addition of
 behavioural activation program delivered in a group format improve depressive symptoms and
 quality of life compared to treatment as usual after 18 weeks of treatment? Study
 investigators hypothesize that behavioural activation is an effective treatment for
 depressive disorder in patients with depression.
This is a pilot study, a mixed-methods design including an open label pragmatic randomized
 trial and a qualitative grounded theory approach. Participants will be randomized to
 Behavioural Activation (BA) (intervention) or support group (control) in addition to
 treatment as usual. The qualitative component will be used to gather participant's
 experiences, beliefs and opinions about two topics: 1) the experience of participating in the
 behavioural activation program and 2) their evolving perceptions of their individual
 depressive illness and quality of life. Based on the analysis of qualitative data pertaining
 to the first topic, the behavioural activation program may be modified for the main trial, to
 respond to patient needs and feedback, in the spirit of delivering truly patient centered
 care. The qualitative study will involve multiple interviews and focus groups which will take
 place before, during, and after the pilot intervention period.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Clinical diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder

 -  Must be able to provide written informed consent

 -  Must be able to attend program sessions

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Inability to understand written and spoken English

 -  Primary diagnosis other than Depressive Disorder