Group therapy shows promise for teens with severe anxiety and depression
NCT ID NCT06894394
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This study tested a group version of a therapy program called UP-A for 15 teenagers with severe emotional disorders like anxiety and depression. The teens were treated at a day hospital in Spain. The program aimed to help them manage their emotions and reduce symptoms. Researchers checked how the teens were doing before, after, and up to 12 months later, using surveys from the teens, their parents, and doctors.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- group therapy program (Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders in Adolescents, UP-A)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could provide an effective group therapy option for teens with severe emotional disorders in intensive treatment settings.
- What could go wrong
- This was a small, uncontrolled study with only 15 participants, so results may not apply to all teens. The therapy was adapted for a specific hospital setting, which may limit its use elsewhere.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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15 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jan 2023
- Finished
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Jul 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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11 to 18 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Being an active patient at the Day Hospital of the Puerta de Hierro Hospital * Presenting, as the main diagnosis (most serious diagnosis or the one that interferes the most), an emotional disorder with moderate or high severity including the following disorders based on DSM-5 categories: Depressive Disorders (Major Depressive Disorder and Persistent Depressive Disorder), Bipolar Disorders (Bipolar I and II Disorder, Cyclothymic Disorder), Anxiety Disorders (Specific Phobia, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Social Anxiety Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder), Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders (including Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Hoarding Disorder, Trichotillomania and Excoriation (Skin-Picking) Disorder), Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders (Reactive Attachment Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Acute Stress Disorder and Adjustment Disorders), Dissociative Disorders (Dissociative Identity Disorder, Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder) and Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders (Somatic Symptom Disorder and Illness Anxiety Disorder). Specified and unspecified disorders from the above categories are also included. * Being able to participate normally in group therapy (despite presenting self-harm or suicidal ideation, severe depressive disorder or dysfunctional personality and/or autism spectrum disorder) * Being 11-18 years of age * Being proficient in Spanish * Being able to attend the evaluation and treatment sessions * At least one of the adolescent's parents or legal guardians being able to complete the evaluation questionnaires * If the participant was taking psychiatric medication, the dose being remaining stable for at least 1 month before the start of treatment and throughout it Exclusion Criteria: * Presenting one or more of the following clinical conditions (either as a main or comorbid diagnosis): 1) Intellectual Disability, 2) Autism Spectrum Disorder accompanied by an intellectual disability that does not allow for group therapeutic work, 3) Disruptive, Impulse-Control and Conduct Disorders with a severity level that hinders group work, 4) Eating Disorders as the main diagnosis, 5) Psychotic Spectrum Disorders or psychotic-type symptoms, 6) Substance Abuse Disorders (excluding cannabis, coffee and/or nicotine) as the main diagnosis * The characteristics or severity of the symptoms presented by the adolescent requiring an individual intervention or one adapted to the specific clinical condition * Suffering from a serious medical illness that makes the adolescent's participation in the treatment program unsustainable * The participant, or, if under 16 years of age, his or her parents, having refused to sign the informed consent
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Hospital de Día Infantojuvenil del Hospital Puerta de Hierro de Majadahonda
Madrid, Madrid, 28222, Spain
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