Principal Investigator: Susan Ramsey, Ph.D.
Funding Agency: NIDA
Project Dates: 9/01/03 - 8/31/06
Project Status: Currently Enrolling

Objectives: The goal of this project is to examine the efficacy of a brief alcohol intervention among heavy-drinking depressed patients.

Design: The primary aim of this project is to develop and test a cognitive-behavioral treatment for depression (CBT-D) intervention tailored to meet the needs of methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) patients undergoing antiviral treatment for hepatitis C. In the first phase of this project (Year 1), we will develop and pilot the intervention with 20 patients. In the second phase of the project (Years 2 and 3), we will conduct a preliminary, randomized trial with 60 MMT patients to examine the efficacy of the CBT-D intervention relative to the relaxation training (RT) control condition that equates for therapist contact time.

Outcome Measures: Depression-related antiviral treatment failure, depressive symptoms, hepatitis C RNA levels, illicit drug use days.