An observational study in Depression Moderate, Anxiety, Social and Panic Disorder, sponsored by St. Olavs Hospital. Completed at 4 sites in Norway. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-22.
Sponsored by St. Olavs Hospital · Observational
The goal of this observational multicentre study is to address the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of providing a therapist guided internet based cognitive behavioural therapy (ICBT) for common mental disorders in a routine healthcare setting.
Main research questions is 1) What is the effectiveness of guided internet based treatment for moderate depression, panic disorder and social anxiety disorder across clinics in routine care? 2) What is the cost-effectiveness of guided internet based treatment for moderate depression, panic disorder and social anxiety disorder across clinics? 3) Who benefits from guided internet-delivered treatment? 4) What are the predictors of drop-out from guided internet based treatment? 5) To what extent does user experiences of guided internet based treatment influence adherence and effectiveness? Participants will receive up to nine guided ICBT sessions (modules) and answer questionnaires covering symptoms severity, health related quality of life, work and social ability, user satisfaction and medication. All questionnaires are part of the standard patient follow up routines in the four treatment locations participating in the study. Analytical approach is to compare locations/clinics and subgroups of patients.
The therapist guided internet based cognitive therapy (ICBT) cover moderate depression, social anxiety disorder (SAC) and panic disorder (PD).
The eMeistring-program is standard treatment in all four hospitals/locations participating in the study. Patients are recruited through the ordinary clinical patient pathways. After a pre-treatment assessment, an initial face-to-face visit takes place (T1). Patients are given the opportunity to participate in the study based on informed concent. Next, participants in the depression program will receive eight guided internet based cognitive behavioural therapy sessions or modules. Similarly SAC and PD patients will receive nine modules. Therapist guidance are provided at least once a week via a secure email system. When sessions are finished (T2), a new face-to-face visit with the therapist is offered.
Therapists are licensed health personnel e.g. psychologists, registered nurses and clinical social workers, working in the clinics.
Administrative data about covering organizational implementation of the eMeistring treatment program, personnel involved and level of treatment activity is collected separately.
Inclusion criteria's for eMeistring therapy: having moderate depression, panic disorder and social anxiety disorder as a primary disorder, and having computer and internet access.
Exclusion criteria: severe depression, suicidal impulses and thoughts, bipolar disorders, psychosis, substance abuse, unstable medication last month), severe reading or writing disabilities.
Adverse events are taken care of through routine follow-up according to the outpatient clinic responsibility. Any responses from patients indicating suicidal behaviour triggers email to the therapist with an urge to follow-up.
Planned statistical analyses include multivariate analyses of effectiveness (intention-to-treat and completers), predictor analyses of drop-out and adherence, and cost-effectiveness analyses based on health related quality of life, intervention costs and other health care and societal costs, analysing location specific differences stratified by patient groups.
270 studies on the registry are indexed under Panic Disorder; 37 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 800 is above the median of 200 across 50 observational studies indexed under Panic Disorder.
Browse Panic Disorder studies →St. Olavs Hospital is the lead sponsor of 171 studies on the registry; 29 are open to participants now.
Compared within Panic Disorder, this study's primary condition as ClinicalTrials.gg classifies it; the registry's first condition term is Anxiety Disorders. The counts are of registry records indexed under each term, refreshed daily. How we classify →
Population living in the geographical areas in which provision of specialized health care services are the resonsibility of the four health enterprices/locations participating in the study.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Having moderate depression, panic disorder and social anxiety disorder as a primary disorder. Access to computer and internet.
Exclusion Criteria:
Having severe depression, suicidal impulses and thoughts, bipolar disorders, psychosis, substance abuse, unstable medication last month, severe reading or writing disabilities.
Behavioral: eMeistring
Behavioral: eMeistring
Behavioral: eMeistring
Initial face-to-face visit, eight/nine sessions/modules of therapist guided ICBT, final face-to-face visit
Depression severity
For moderate depression group: Depression severity assessed by PHQ-9, Patient Health Questionnaire score. Minimum score is 0, maximum score is 27. Higher score indicates more severe depression
Time frame: Pre treatment (T1), up to 14 weeks after treatment start (T2), six months after T2 (T3) and after two years (T4)
Social phobia
For social anxiety group: Social Phobia assessed by SPIN, Social Phobia Inventory score. Minimum score is 0, maximum score is 68. Higher score indicates more severe phobia.
Time frame: Pre treatment (T1), up to 14 weeks after treatment start (T2), six months after T2 (T3) and after two years (T4)
Panic disorder symptoms
For panic disorder group: Panic disorder disorder symptoms assessed by PDSS-SR, Panic Disorder Severity Scale. Minimum raw score: 0, maximum raw score: 28. Composite scores range from 0-4. The composite score is the average of the seven items. Higher score indicates higher severity of panic disorder.
Time frame: Pre treatment (T1), up to 14 weeks after treatment start (T2), six months after T2 (T3) and after two years (T4)
Health Related Quality of Life
For all patients: Health related quality of life assessed by EQ-5D-5L index score, EuroQol-5Dimension-5Level index score. Minimum score is 0, maximum score is 1. Higher score indicates higher health related quality of life.
Time frame: Pre treatment (T1), up to 14 weeks after treatment start (T2), six months after T2 (T3) and after two years (T4)
Work and social adjustment
For all patients: Work and social adjustment assessed by Work and Social Adjustment Scale score. Minimum score is 0, maximum score is 40. Higher score indicates worse level of social functioning.
Time frame: Pre treatment (T1), up to 14 weeks after treatment start (T2), six months after T2 (T3) and after two years (T4)
Anxiety severity
For all patients: Anxiety severity will be assessed by GAD-7, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item score. Minimum score is 0, maximum score is 21. Higher score indicates more severe anxiety.
Time frame: Pre treatment (T1), up to 14 weeks after treatment start (T2), six months after T2 (T3) and after two years (T4)
System Usability
For all patients: System usability will be assessed by the System Usability Scale Score. Minimum score is 0, maximum score is 100. Higher SUS scores indicate better usability.
Time frame: Up to 14 weeks after treatment start (T2)
Depression severity
For social anxiety group an panic disorder group: Depression severity assessed by PHQ-9, Patient Health Questionnaire score. Minimum score is 0, maximum score is 27. Higher score indicates more severe depression
Time frame: Pre treatment (T1), up to 14 weeks after treatment start (T2), six months after T2 (T3) and after two years (T4)
Cost of health care services
Cost of health care services calculated as sum costs for hospital inpatient stays plus outpatient visits plus home care visits plus nursing home stays plus general practitioner visits plus physiotherapist visits plus other supportive care visits.
Time frame: Period between pre treatment (T1) and up to 14 weeks after treatment start (T2), and to six months after post treatment (T3) and until two years (T4)
Medication
Patient reported use of medication, assessed by a separate questionnaire.
Time frame: Pre treatment (T1), up to 14 weeks after treatment start (T2), six months after T2 (T3) and after two years (T4)
Work participation
Work participation assessed by questionnaire: Currently employed or not.
Time frame: Pre treatment (T1), up to 14 weeks after treatment start (T2), six months after post treatment (T3) and after two years (T4)
Sickness absenteeism
Sickness absenteeism assessed by questionnaire: Number of days absent the last four weeks.
Time frame: Pre treatment (T1), up to 14 weeks after treatment start (T2), six months after post treatment (T3) and after two years (T4)
Plan to share: No
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Ran from Sep 2021 to primary completion in May 2026, 56 months.
Since we started tracking on Sep 25, 2026, the dates moved once, on Oct 22, 2026: primary completion Jul 2026 → May 2026 and completion Dec 2027 → Jun 2026.
Earlier changes are on the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
This study is completed, as verified in Oct 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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