PPlus

PsychotherapiePlus

10/05/2017 to 31/12/2019

This is a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded clinical trial to investigate the antidepressant efficacy of combined cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Overall, 192 patients will be recruited. Patient will be randomly assigned either to (1) CBT + active tDCS, (2) CBT + sham-tDCS, or (3) CBT alone. In each group, psychotherapeutic intervention will last 6 weeks comprising 12 sessions of CBT (each session: 100 min in a closed group setting). Patients who have been assigned to the two tDCS-groups will receive tDCS simultaneously with CBT. The primary outcome measure is the change in Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale scores from baseline to 6, 18, and 30 weeks after the first session.
This study aims to investigate whether tDCS can augment the effect of CBT in the treatment of patients with major depressive disorder.