NCT04348604

Brief Summary

Although poor medication adherence occurs in more than 65% of adolescent and young adults (AYA) with bipolar disorder (BD) and is associated with poor recovery, high rates of relapse, and a 5.2 fold increased suicide risk, there have been no interventions that specifically target adherence in AYA with BD. This proposal will modify and test a customized adherence enhancement (CAE) intervention developed by the investigative team and found to be effective in BD adults in a high-risk, high-need group: AYAs with BD who are poorly adherent with prescribed BD medications. The project addresses the critical need for evidence-based interventions to improve adherence in AYAs with BD and has the potential to change outcome trajectories in high-risk young people with BD as they transition to adulthood.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
36

participants targeted

Target at P25-P50 for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started Mar 2021

Typical duration for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

2 active sites

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

April 14, 2020

Completed
2 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

April 16, 2020

Completed
11 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

March 15, 2021

Completed
2.5 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

September 1, 2023

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

September 1, 2023

Completed
1.1 years until next milestone

Results Posted

Study results publicly available

October 10, 2024

Completed
Last Updated

May 19, 2026

Status Verified

April 1, 2026

Enrollment Period

2.5 years

First QC Date

April 14, 2020

Results QC Date

August 30, 2024

Last Update Submit

April 28, 2026

Conditions

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

  • Change From Baseline in the Tablet Routine Questionaire (TRQ) "Past Month" Item at 24 Weeks

    The TRQ "past month" item is a subject report of the percentage of prescribed medications not taken within the past month.

    Baseline and 24 weeks

  • Change From Baseline in the Tablet Routine Questionaire (TRQ) "Past Week" Item at 24 Weeks

    The TRQ "past week" item is a subject report of the percentage of prescribed medications not taken within the past week.

    Baseline and 24 weeks

  • Change From Baseline in Treatment Adherence as Measured by Special Pill Counter at 24 Weeks

    A special pill cap/box will record the time/date of bottle opening. A dose will be counted as "taken" if the bottle is opened within two hours of the prescribed time. A percent of doses taken (treatment adherence) will be calculated by dividing the number of times the bottle is opened by the number of times it should have been opened as per the prescription.

    Baseline and 24 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Customized Adherence Enhancement for AYA

EXPERIMENTAL

This arm will receive the experimental intervention, Customized Adherence Enhancement for Adolescents and Young Adults (CAE-AYA).

Behavioral: Customized Adherence Enhancement for Adolescents and Young Adults (CAE-AYA)

Enhanced Treatment as Usual (ETAU)

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

This arm will receive the control intervention, Enhanced Treatment as Usual (ETAU).

Behavioral: Enhanced Treatment as Usual (ETAU)

Interventions

Customized Adherence Enhancement for Adolescents and Young Adults (CAE-AYA): CAE-AYA participants will have 4 core in-person sessions (45-60 minutes each) spaced about 1 week apart over a period of approximately 4 weeks and one "booster" in-person session approximately 4 weeks after completion of the 4 core sessions (total of up to 5 in-person sessions spaced out over 8 weeks). There will be one follow-up phone call with a study interventionist, approximately 6 weeks post-baseline (timed half-way between completion of the core sessions and the "booster" session). All AYAs assigned to the CAE-AYA arm will receive all 4 modules (Psychoeducation on BD Medications; Communication with Providers \& Caregivers; Medication Routines; and Targeting Risky Behavior via Modified Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET)), with the content within each module being customized to developmental stage and behavioral experience.

Customized Adherence Enhancement for AYA

Enhanced Treatment as Usual (ETAU): ETAU will consist of usual clinical care with prescribing clinicians and therapists, augmented by written materials specific to BD for AYAs and 6 follow-up telephone calls to briefly review the materials and be available for questions by social workers with mental health experience and at least some experience in working with AYA with BD. In order to ensure that there is not treatment contamination, different trained interventionists will be used for CAE and eTAU. Therapists will briefly review the materials and be available for questions during the phone calls. Materials will cover general self-management in BD. The calls will be relatively brief (maximum of 20-30 minutes).

Enhanced Treatment as Usual (ETAU)

Eligibility Criteria

Age14 Years - 21 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsChild (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

  • DSM-5 diagnosis of bipolar disorder (BD), type I or II as diagnosed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5)
  • Poor adherence defined as missing ≥ 20% of prescribed evidence-based BD medications, i.e., mood stabilizer (e.g., lithium, valproic acid, or carbamazepine) or second generation antipsychotics, on the TRQ for the past week or past month
  • If \< 18 years, able and willing to give written informed assent and have a legal guardian provide written informed consent; if \> 18 years, able and willing to provide written informed consent
  • Fluent in English

You may not qualify if:

  • Unable to receive care in the outpatient setting due to illness severity
  • A DSM-5 diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder or primary psychotic disorder
  • Documented or suspected IQ \< 70
  • Prior enrollment in CAE or Phase 2
  • Have recently (in the past month) started a new psychotherapy/behavioral intervention

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (2)

University of Cincinnati

Cincinnati, Ohio, 45219, United States

Location

Case Western Reserve Universty

Cleveland, Ohio, 44106, United States

Location

Related Publications (1)

  • Levin JB, DelBello M, Modi AC, Briggs F, Forthun LF, McVoy M, Yala J, Cooley R, Black J, Conroy C, Sajatovic M. A 6-month, prospective, randomized controlled trial of customized adherence enhancement versus a bipolar-specific educational control in poorly adherent adolescents and young adults living with bipolar disorder. Bipolar Disord. 2024 Nov;26(7):696-707. doi: 10.1111/bdi.13489. Epub 2024 Sep 4.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Bipolar Disorder

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Bipolar and Related DisordersMood DisordersMental Disorders

Results Point of Contact

Title
Joy Yala, Data Manager
Organization
Case Western Reserve University

Study Officials

  • Martha Sajatovic, MD

    Case Western Reserve University

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

PI is Sponsor Employee
No
Restrictive Agreement
No

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
NONE
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Professor

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

April 14, 2020

First Posted

April 16, 2020

Study Start

March 15, 2021

Primary Completion

September 1, 2023

Study Completion

September 1, 2023

Last Updated

May 19, 2026

Results First Posted

October 10, 2024

Record last verified: 2026-04

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will share

Data entered into the NIMH National Database: We will collaborate with our project office to determine the best mechanism to ensure that our Phase 3 data is entered into the common informatics platform by NIMH, called the National Database for Clinical Trials Related to Mental Illness (http://ndct.nimh.nih.gov, NDCT). We will work with NIMH to transform the data we collect into relevant information using the suggested consent form language, NIMH software that will create global unique identifiers and a useful data dictionary as much as we are able in order to deposit data into the National Database allowing other researchers and NIMH to use available data. In line with accepted data sharing practices and ethical principles, we will share de-identified raw data with other researchers attempting to replicate our findings or including our findings in subsequent projects.

Shared Documents
STUDY PROTOCOL
Time Frame
One year after the final results have been published.
Access Criteria
Researchers will be able to contact us by telephone or email to request these data, which we will provide in a timely manner. We will not release any data that are considered identifying or protected by IRB, HIPAA, or federal regulations unless that researcher and the PI of the current project have obtained proper administrative agreements or participation in the NIMH national database.

Locations