Paramedical Tele-education on Moderate Depressive Episodes

Conditions studied

Depression, Depression Moderate

About this study

Considering that one out of five people may experience depression during the course of their life, and that compliance to anti-depression medication is often not optimal. Psycho-educational interventions are recommended in international clinical practice guidelines for the management of depression. They are the first step in the treatment protocol. Psychoeducation in the treatment of depressive episodes has been shown to be an effective intervention because it reduces depressive symptoms, the risk of relapse or recurrence and improves adherence to treatment. In France, there are only one approved psycho-education programme, but it concerns a population of patients under psychiatric care. No psycho-education programme has yet been carried out or evaluated in France on depressed patients followed up in primary care by their General Practitioner. Recent changes in our healthcare practices, which have required adaptation to the pandemic context, have led to the development of the use of telemedicine. This study aims to evaluate a new and 100% remote educational program adapted to patients ongoing moderate depression and focused on medication adherence, economic gain and patients and professional satisfaction.

Interventions

• Other: psychoeducative program — The tele-education program consists of 5 sessions and is designed to adapt to changes in depressive symptoms over time. Each session will last an average of 60 minutes. They will be scheduled every week for 5 weeks. The first session is devoted to educational diagnosis, with identification of the patient's needs and any barriers to treatment. The second session will focus on personalised hygienic and dietary measures. A third session will focus on identifying the symptoms of depression, with a particular focus on suicidal ideation and the causes of depression. The role of family and friends will also be discussed. A fourth session will be devoted to providing clear information on antidepressants, with particular attention to the duration of treatment. The aim of the final session is to identify what has been learned and to clarify any questions before drawing up a joint summary of the work done, which will be sent to the patient's GP with his or her consent.

Primary outcomes

• medication adherence (6 months post inclusion)

Eligibility information

Study locations

• Chu Toulouse, Toulouse, Occitanie 31000 France