Study population
manic, psychotic episodes, Anxiety, comorbid mental disorders, ’, anxiety, bipolar disorder, depressive, MDD, depression
EPSTEIN, BROWN, NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS
Participants aged 18–65 years with ‘bothersome depression symptoms’ were recruited using local advertisements and social media. Entrance to the trial was via self-referral by phone or online registration. Potential participants were pre-screened by telephone before in-person formal clinical evaluation and enrollment to the trial. Participants gave written informed consent before further evaluation. Demographic information along with information about current and past treatments for mental health, including the current use of psychotropic medication, was obtained. Clinical psychologists or trained psychology students conducted a diagnostic interview using the Norwegian version of the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview PLUS 5.0.0 (M.I.N.I.). Inclusion criteria were current or previous MDD, with or without comorbid mental disorders. Exclusion criteria were current or former manic episodes, psychotic episodes, or neurological disorders. It is commonly found that patients experiencing a major depressive episode fulfill the criteria for bipolar disorder (Angst et al., Eligible participants were invited to return for face-to-face baseline assessment 2 weeks later wherein self-reported anxiety symptomatology [Beck's Anxiety Inventory (BAI); Beck, Epstein, Brown, & Steer, CONSORT flow diagram.