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Anxiety Skills Training for Anxiety

N/A

Waitlist Available

Led By Robyn L. Shepardson, PhD

Research Sponsored by VA Office of Research and Development

Eligibility Criteria Checklist

Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial

Must have

Age >=18 years

Be older than 18 years old

Must not have

Current (past 2 weeks) severe depressive symptoms (>= 20 on PHQ9)

Diagnosis of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) or serious mental illness (SMI, i.e., psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder) in Problem List

Timeline

Screening 3 weeks

Treatment Varies

Follow Up baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, post-assessment (16 weeks), follow-up assessment (28 weeks)

Awards & highlights

No Placebo-Only Group

Summary

This trial is testing whether a brief anxiety treatment is more effective at reducing anxiety symptoms and impairment in Veterans compared to usual care.

Who is the study for?

This trial is for Veterans aged 18 or older who have been seen at Syracuse or Western New York VA primary care clinics in the last year and are experiencing significant anxiety symptoms. It's not open to those with severe communication barriers, cognitive impairments that prevent informed consent, certain mental health diagnoses like OCD or SMI, current intensive psychotherapy for anxiety/depression, recent changes in psychotropic medications, severe depression, or PTSD.

What is being tested?

The study compares a brief behavioral treatment called Veterans Anxiety Skills Training (VAST), which includes up to six 30-minute sessions focused on cognitive-behavioral skills tailored for Veterans' needs against usual care. The effectiveness of VAST will be measured by looking at the severity of anxiety symptoms and functional impairment before and after treatment.

What are the potential side effects?

Since VAST is a non-medication intervention focusing on teaching coping skills for anxiety management rather than using drugs, it may not have typical drug side effects. However, discussing emotional topics during therapy could temporarily increase distress.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

You may be eligible if you check “Yes” for the criteria below

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I am 18 years old or older.

Exclusion Criteria

You may be eligible for the trial if you check “No” for criteria below:

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I am currently experiencing severe depression.

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I have been diagnosed with OCD or a serious mental illness.

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I am able to understand and consent to the study on my own.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks3 visits

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~ baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, post-assessment (16 weeks), follow-up assessment (28 weeks)

Screening ~ 3 weeks

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, post-assessment (16 weeks), follow-up assessment (28 weeks)

This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, post-assessment (16 weeks), follow-up assessment (28 weeks) for reporting.