Relapse Prevention in

Depression and Anxiety

Relapse is a common challenge for individuals who have recovered from depression and anxiety. To address this, our lab is dedicated to advancing evidence-based interventions for relapse prevention. We are committed not only to promoting well-proven methods but also to exploring innovative approaches that can expand access to care. This includes promoting low-cost interventions, leveraging technology, and expanding non-specialist care in both high- and low-income countries. Below, you'll find a selection of initiatives and ongoing studies our lab has led to support these efforts.

Preventive Cognitive Therapy (PCT)

Developed by Claudi Bockting, Preventive Cognitive Therapy is an exentensively researched method for relapse prevention in depression. Thoughout 8 sessions, clients and therapeut develop a tailor-made plan to overcome depression relapse. PCT is cost effective, can be used alongside or as an alternative to anti-depressants and has been shown to provide significant protection against relapse over a period of 2 to 20 years. PCT is selected for dissimination via the Ministry of Health and MIND.

For more information, see here or download our brochure.

ITFRA Consortium

ITFRA (International TaskForce for RelApse prevention of depression and anxiety) is a research taskforce co-ordinated by Josefien Breedvelt and Claudi Bockting, that aims to improve our understanding of the prevention of relapse in depression, harmonize outcome and moderator measurement, and advocate for improved outcomes for people who have experienced depression. The current projects are largely focused on individual participant data meta-analysis and meta-analyses aiming to identify what works for whom and evaluate treatment approaches such as the role of psychological interventions and antidepressants in preventing relapse or recurrence.

Ongoing Studies

STAYFINE-App: Relapse Prevention in Adolescents

More than one in five adolescents has to deal with anxiety or a depressive disorder before the age of 21. Even after recovery, the prevalence of relapse is especially high in this age group. To investigate whether it is possible to prevent relapse through ongoing monitoring and momentary app-based interventions, we are conducting a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of personalized combination of app-based interventions with guidance of loved experience experts. This project is conducted with funding from ZonMw.

MINDCOG: Understanding mechanisms of depression prevention

MINDCOG is a randomized cross-over trial to investigate mechanisms of mindfulness and positive fantasizing (ingredient of PCT) as intervention techniques for reducing perseverative cognition (PC) in remitted depressed individuals. The current study aims to 1) test whether momentary psychological and psychophysiological indices of PC are differentially affected by positive fantasizing versus mindfulness-based interventions, 2) test whether the mechanisms of change by which fantasizing and mindfulness affect PC differ between remitted Major Depressive Disorder versus never-depressed individuals, and 3) explore potential moderators of the main effects of the two interventions (i.e., what works for whom).

HERSTEL: Innovative depression treatment for lasting recovery

Patients partially remitted from depression are at increased risk of relapse. In the HERSTEL-study (eng. RECOVERY), we aim to further reduce depressive symptoms and the risk of relapse using multilevel interventions. To attain this goal, we compare the efficacy of Preventive Cognitive Therapy combined with a serious computer game intervention that targets cognitive functioning to Preventive Cognitive Therapy alone. This project is conducted with funding from the Hersenstichting.

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