Cognition for Learning and for Understanding Everyday Social Situations (CLUES Study)
A research study designed to test which of two treatments is more effective in helping young people who have experienced recent changes in their mental health.
For more information about the CLUES Study and to see if you qualify, take our free, confidential survey.
Principal Investigator: Matcheri S. Keshavan, MD
Why Participate in Research?
Participating in research studies like the CLUES Study allows participants to become more educated on their illness. It also allows participants to have a more involved role in their healthcare, as well as help contribute to research that could possibly lead to medical innovations and more effective treatments.
Why is Mental Health Research Important?
Understanding mental illness can lead to improvements in caring for individuals.
Mental health research is the first step toward new, more effective treatments and ultimately possible prevention in people who may be at risk.
What will happen during the study?
As a participant, you would be asked to:
Sign a consent form indicating your agreement to participate.<br?>,br/>
Procedures include:
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- A clinical interview
- Assessment of attention, memory and thinking styles
- Assignment to one of two 6-month treatment programs (you will not be able to choose which treatment you take part in)
- CLUES-A) Weekly computer sessions, individual group meetings focused on improving cognition.
- CLUES-E) Individual and group therapy + computer tasks, all focused on clarifying values and goals and helping you manage difficult symptoms in order to make progress towards goals.
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Participants take part in 3 assessments:
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- Prior to starting the treatment
- At the end of the treatment
- 3 months after the treatment ends
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This study takes place at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, East Campus. Individuals will be compensated with $275 for completion of the study. All assessments are free of charge.</br?>
Who can participate?
Eligible for the study are people ages 15-30 with recent mental health changes such as:
- Feeling like their eyes/ears/mind is playing tricks on them
- Becoming overly focused on certain ideas that other people find odd
- Feeling suspicious
- New problems in school, work or attention
Excluded from the study are people with mental retardation and people with serious medical conditions or prolonged drug or alcohol abuse.
For more information, please contact:
Corin Pilo-Comtois, LMHC at (617) 754-1224
or by email at cpilo@bidmc.harvard.edu
