Cognitive Remediation for Outpatients With Recurrent Mood Disorders: A Feasibility Study

Current first-line treatments for mood disorders often improve mood symptoms but do little to reduce cognitive and functional impairment. This 10-week, uncontrolled, feasibility study evaluated a cognitive remediation (CR) intervention for individuals with recurrent mood disorders. Adults with recurrent major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder, who had recently been treated and discharged from specialized mental health services, were eligible for inclusion. Twenty patients completed the CR intervention, which involved weekly individual sessions with a therapist, as well as the practice of computerized CR exercises between sessions. The study assessed the acceptability of the assessment and treatment as well as outcomes in terms of mood symptoms, general functioning, and cognitive functioning. Patients reported that they were generally satisfied with the CR intervention and were close to reaching the recommended amount of practice between therapist-led sessions. The retention rate from baseline to posttreatment was 87%. When within-group effects were examined, large effect sizes over time (>0.9) were seen for 2 cognitive variables that measured executive function: Category Switching-Total Words and Total Switching Score. Findings from the current feasibility study will inform the development of a large randomized controlled trial of an adapted version of the CR intervention for mood disorders assessed in this preliminary study, with the goal of translating the intervention into clinical practice.