CBT-f-DDD version 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Depersonalisation-Derealisation Disorder (CBT-f-DDD): A feasibility study
IRAS ID
310245
Contact name
Elaine Hunter
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
40944, ISRCTN submission
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 4 months, days
Research summary
Depersonalisation-Derealisation Disorder (DDD) is a distressing condition where people feel a profound sense of unreality and disconnection from the world around them. Around 1% of the population have DDD but there has been almost no research and there are no effective treatments. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is helpful in treating other mental health conditions and this study will test if CBT that has been specifically adapted for people with DDD can also help them too. We have 2 aims: (1) to investigate the feasibility of using CBT-for-DDD in a small study where people with DDD are randomly divided into either having CBT or not, and (2) try this within a typical NHS setting. This will then enable us to refine the treatment and set up a large-scale clinical trial to show if it really works and how best to deliver it. We will design a CBT-for-DDD manual and train NHS therapists in this. We will then recruit people aged 16-75 with symptoms of DDD from NHS services (within NHS trusts, e.g. Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust and Barnet, Enfield and Haringey NHS Foundation Trust) and randomly split these people into two groups where one is given CBT-f-DDD and the other group has standard care. After 6-months of treatment, these groups will be compared to see if their symptoms have changed, and we will also do a 12-month follow-up to see if any changes are lasting. We will also assess the practicalities of delivering the treatment and patients’ experience so we can better design a future larger study.
REC name
London - Bloomsbury Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/LO/0181
Date of REC Opinion
8 Mar 2022
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion