Trial results comparing Transdiagnostic Behavior Therapy (TBT) and Disorder Specific Therapies (DST) for Veterans with Major Depressive Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia were posted on ClinicalTrials.gov on 2025-11-06, involving 304 participants.
Background
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is recognized as an effective treatment for individuals with depressive and anxiety disorders. However, its implementation within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) faces challenges due to the significant cost and burden associated with training clinicians to deliver numerous disorder-specific treatments (DSTs). To address this, Transdiagnostic Behavior Therapy (TBT) was developed as a single protocol designed to treat multiple distinct disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder, within the same patient population. This approach aims to streamline training and improve the accessibility of effective psychological interventions for Veterans.
Trial design
This completed study, designated as Phase NA, enrolled 304 participants. The trial investigated interventions for conditions including Major Depressive Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia. The study compared Transdiagnostic Behavior Therapy with Disorder Specific Therapies, evaluating their respective outcomes in Veterans.
Key results
The trial reported several key measurements across both therapy groups:
- PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) (score on a scale):
- For Transdiagnostic Behavior Therapy, mean scores were 48.0 (Standard Deviation 16.80), 42.44 (Standard Deviation 18.83), 35.00 (Standard Deviation 21.48), and 37.40 (Standard Deviation 20.24).
- For Disorder Specific Therapies, mean scores were 46.37 (Standard Deviation 16.12), 36.95 (Standard Deviation 19.18), 27.36 (Standard Deviation 19.04), and 33.50 (Standard Deviation 20.00).
- Patient Health Questionnaire - 9 (PHQ-9) (score on a scale):
- For Transdiagnostic Behavior Therapy, mean scores were 17.29 (Standard Deviation 5.66) and 13.49 (Standard Deviation 6.70).
- For Disorder Specific Therapies, mean scores were 16.28 (Standard Deviation 5.97) and 12.87 (Standard Deviation 5.79).
What this means
The posted results provide specific mean scores and standard deviations for the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) and the Patient Health Questionnaire - 9 (PHQ-9) for both Transdiagnostic Behavior Therapy and Disorder Specific Therapies. These measurements contribute to the understanding of how these two distinct therapeutic approaches impact symptom severity in Veterans experiencing Major Depressive Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Panic Disorder. While the data offers detailed outcome measurements, no comparative analyses or statistical significance values were reported to indicate a superior effect of one therapy over the other based on this information alone. The findings lay groundwork for further evaluation of transdiagnostic approaches in managing co-occurring mental health conditions.
Source
The information regarding these trial results was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a public database of clinical studies. The results for the study NCT04293341, titled "Comparing Individual Therapies for Veterans With Depression, PTSD, and Panic Disorder", were posted on 2025-11-06 on clinicaltrials.gov.