Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2017 May 29;7(5):e013587.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-013587.

Supportive text messages for patients with alcohol use disorder and a comorbid depression: a protocol for a single-blind randomised controlled aftercare trial

Dan Hartnett  1 , Edel Murphy  1 , Elizabeth Kehoe  1 , Vincent Agyapong  2 , Declan M McLoughlin  1 , Conor Farren  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Supportive text messages for patients with alcohol use disorder and a comorbid depression: a protocol for a single-blind randomised controlled aftercare trial

Dan Hartnett et al. BMJ Open. .

Abstract

Introduction: Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and mood disorders commonly co-occur, and are associated with a range of negative outcomes for patients. Mobile phone technology has the potential to provide personalised support for such patients and potentially improve outcomes in this difficult-to-treat cohort. The aim of this study is to examine whether receiving supporting SMS text messages, following discharge from an inpatient dual diagnosis treatment programme, has a positive impact on mood and alcohol abstinence in patients with an AUD and a comorbid mood disorder.

Methods and analysis: The present study is a single-blind randomised controlled trial. Patients aged 18-70 years who meet the criteria for both alcohol dependency syndrome/alcohol abuse and either major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder according to the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV Axis I will be randomised to receive twice-daily supportive SMS text messages for 6 months plus treatment as usual, or treatment as usual alone, and will be followed-up at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months postdischarge. Primary outcome measures will include changes from baseline in cumulative abstinence duration, which will be expressed as the proportion of days abstinent from alcohol in the preceding 90 days, and changes from baseline in Beck Depression Inventory scores.

Ethics and dissemination: The trial has received full ethical approval from the St. Patrick's Hospital Research Ethics Committee (protocol 13/14). Results of the trial will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journal articles and at academic conferences.

Trial registration number: NCT02404662; Pre-results.

Keywords: SMS text messaging; alcohol addiction; depression & mood disorders; dual diagnosis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Participant flow through the trial. MDT, multi-disciplinary team.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Sullivan LE, Fiellin DA, O'Connor PG. The prevalence and impact of alcohol problems in Major depression: a systematic review. Am J Med 2005;118:330–41. 10.1016/j.amjmed.2005.01.007 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Grant BF, Hasin DS, Dawson DA. The relationship between DSM-IV alcohol use disorders and DSM-IV major depression: examination of the primary-secondary distinction in a general population sample. J Affect Disord 1996;38:113–28. 10.1016/0165-0327(96)00002-X - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hasin DS, Stinson FS, Ogburn E, et al. . Prevalence, correlates, disability, and comorbidity of DSM-IV alcohol abuse and dependence in the United States: results from the National Epidemiologic survey on alcohol and related conditions. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2007;64:830–42. 10.1001/archpsyc.64.7.830 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Burns L, Teesson M. Alcohol use disorders comorbid with anxiety, depression and drug use disorders. findings from the Australian National survey of Mental Health and Well being. Drug Alcohol Depend 2002;68:299–307. - PubMed
    1. Schuckit MA, Tipp JE, Bergman M, et al. . Comparison of induced and independent Major depressive disorders in 2,945 alcoholics. Am J Psychiatry 1997;154:948–57. 10.1176/ajp.154.7.948 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

Associated data