OBJECTIVE: We developed a personalized intervention for depressed patients with COPD (PID-C) aimed to mobilize patients to participate in the care of both conditions. We showed that PID-C reduced depressive symptoms and dyspnea-related disability more than usual care over 28 weeks. This study focused on untangling key therapeutic ingredients of PID-C.

DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial.

SETTING: Community.

PARTICIPANTS: 138 patients who received the diagnoses of COPD and major depression after screening 898 consecutive admissions for acute inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation.

INTERVENTION: Nine sessions of PID-C compared with usual care over 28 weeks.

MEASUREMENTS: Primary outcome measures were the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and the Pulmonary Functional Status and Dyspnea Questionnaire-Modified. Other measures were adherence to rehabilitation exercise (≥2 hours per week) and adherence to adequate antidepressant prescriptions.

RESULTS: Low severity of dyspnea-related disability and adherence to antidepressants predicted subsequent improvement of depression. Exercise and low depression severity predicted improvement of dyspnea-related disability.

CONCLUSIONS: PID-C led to an interacting spiral of improvement in both depression and disability in a gravely medically ill population with a 17% mortality rate over 28 weeks and an expected deterioration in disability. The interrelationship of the course of depression and dyspnea-related disability underscores the need to target adherence to both antidepressants and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease rehabilitation. PID-C may serve as a care management model for depressed persons suffering from medical illnesses with a deteriorating course.