Active clinical trials for "Mood Disorders"

This study seeks to increase the understanding of dopamine receptor function in the brain during major depressive disorder and bipolar depression, as well as genetic changes that may be behind changes in those receptors' actions. Dopamine is a natural messenger in the brain, involved in reward, motivation, and mood. Volunteers aged 18 to 55 who have primary major depressive disorder and those who have bipolar depression (20 in each group), who are not HIV positive and do not have AIDS, and who are not pregnant or breastfeeding may be eligible for this study. A telephone interview will be held, for patients to answer standardized questions about psychiatric or medical symptoms they may have experienced during their lifetime. Those eligible for the study will undergo interviews and laboratory tests. A psychiatric interview and clinical assessment will collect various data. Patients will undergo the following procedures and tests: A brief neurological examination A one-minute electrocardiogram to measure electrical activity of the heart. Laboratory tests measuring several substances in the blood and urine. Pregnancy test. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan will be done to create an image of the volunteer's brain structure. The technique of MRI uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to obtain images of body organs and tissues. During the MRI scan, volunteers will lie still on a table that will slide into the scanner for 30 minutes and in some cases up to but no more than 90 minutes. Volunteers will be asked to lie as still as possible during the procedure. Then a PET system will create two images of brain blood flow-one of brain dopamine 1 receptor and one of dopamine 2/3 receptor binding. Volunteers will be given a radiotracer, a tiny amount of a drug that can be detected by a special camera in the PET scanner. A tiny flexible tube will be placed in the vein of one arm during each PET scan but during the MRI scan. Volunteers will be asked to lie still on the PET scanner table. A mask with large holes for eyes, ears, and mouth will be placed over the head, to keep the head from moving. After radiotracer injections are given, the PET scanner will create brain images. There may be two PET scanning sessions, each requiring about 3 hours of scanning. During only one of these there will be breaks. At the end of the scanning session, volunteers will be asked to drink several glasses of water and urinate immediately, to reduce radiation exposure to the bladder wall. Genetic screening will help to enhance researchers' understanding of the role of dopamine receptors in depression. A small blood sample, about 2 tablespoons, will be collected, to isolate DNA from blood cells. Some of the blood samples or DNA may be stored for future studies, but those samples will remain coded, so participants will not be identified. This study will not have a direct benefit for participants. However, the results may provide knowledge to help people in the future. This study does involve compensation.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the function of certain brain chemicals and receptors in patients with mood disorders. This study will also examine how the stress hormone cortisol affects brain function. Data suggest that serotonin 1A (5-HT1A) receptor function is abnormal in patients with mood disorders, such as major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BP). However, these data are limited because they are based on small sample sizes. In this study, PET scans will be used to compare 5-HT1A receptor binding potential between mood disorder patients and healthy volunteers. All participants will have an initial medical and psychiatric evaluation. Depression severity, anxiety, negative thinking, level of functioning, intelligence, and cognitive functions will be measured. Urine, saliva, and blood will be collected. Women will have a pregnancy test and tests to determine menstrual phase and time of ovulation. Participants will undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and PET scans of the brain. Some participants will have other procedures such as a lumbar puncture. Participants with Cushing's disease will undergo imaging as a comparison group.

This study investigates the effects on symptoms of combined treatment with estrogen and progesterone in women with severe premenstrual syndrome (PMDD). Studies indicate that women with PMS experience improvement in symptoms following treatment with leuprolide acetate, when estrogen and progesterone levels are low. Women with PMS, but not women without the disorder, experience a return of symptoms within approximately a week after re-exposure to either estrogen or progesterone. The cause of this hormone-induced depression remains unclear. It is not known whether this depressed mood is due simply to the change in the levels of estrogen and progesterone and whether it would remit following continued exposure to stable levels of estrogen and progesterone. This study will determine whether the maintenance of stable hormone levels will prevent mood disturbances in women with PMS. Participants in this study will receive leuprolide acetate injections once a month for up to 6 months. After 2 months, women whose symptoms have improved will receive a skin patch containing either estrogen or placebo (an inactive substance) and will be asked to take daily suppositories containing either progesterone or placebo. Women whose symptoms of PMS do not respond to leuprolide treatment after 2 months will end the study and be offered other treatment. Participants will be seen by a nurse in the clinic every two weeks and will fill out ratings and have blood drawn to measure hormone levels.

Often women are prescribed hormone replacement therapy (HRT) during the perimenopause or menopause. Hormone replacement therapy includes both estrogen and progesterone. The estrogen component of HRT helps to relieve the symptoms and has a beneficial effect on the heart and bones, but estrogen also increases the risk of uterine cancer. The progesterone component of the HRT (progestin) works to prevent the increased risk of uterine cancer. There is evidence that some women experience unpleasant mood symptoms (such as irritability, depressed mood and anxiety) while receiving hormone replacement therapy (HRT) while taking the progestin / progesterone component of the HRT. This study is designed to evaluate the ability of progestins to produce negative mood symptoms in women. Researchers intend on doing this by comparing the effects of medroxyprogesterone acetate (Provera) and a placebo inactive sugar pill. Patient's moods will be monitered based on their response to questionnaires answered in the outpatient clinic and at home. This research will attempt to answer the following questions: Are progestins associated with changes in mood during hormone replacement therapy? If progestins are associated with mood disturbance, is it because they are blocking the beneficial effects of estrogen?

Background: Bypassing a reductionist view of existing diagnostic categories, ontological addiction theory (OAT) is a new psychological model of human functioning and mental illness. Ontological addiction is a maladaptive condition that stems from an erroneous belief in an inherently existing Self or "I", which is deemed to be the root of all suffering. Five experts from four different countries have created the Ontological Addiction Scale (OAS) to measure the condition and its impact on people's lives. The purpose of this study is to test this scale, evaluating levels of ontological addiction in individuals suffering from emotional or mood disorder, and assess its psychometric properties. Methods: This trial will be conducted in compliance with the COSMIN Guidelines. The investigators will collect data from 400 individuals, aged 18 to 70, suffering from emotional or mood disorder, referred to the Therapeutic Center for Mood and Emotional Disorders for an 8-week-mindfulness-based-intervention. Patients will complete the OAS at three time points: one month before the beginning of the therapy, within one week prior to the beginning of therapy, and one year after the end of the therapy. This scale will be completed in conjunction with other practice assessments relating to the psychotherapeutic program. The psychometric properties of the OAS will be assessed. Discussion: The Investigators aim to validate a scale assessing a psychological dimension as the root of all mental disorders. The present study may contribute to overcoming limitations of categorical understanding of mental disorders, thus moving toward a more encompassing dimensional comprehension. The scale is responsive to current thinking in modern psychiatry, and it is envisaged that its validation will deeply impact research and care perspectives

This study aims to openly test the long-term safety, tolerability and effectiveness of repeated administration of IV, nasal spray and oral ketamine for treatment-resistant mood disorders.

Mood disorders - principally major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder - are a significant public health issue affecting one in four people during their lives in total, over 8 million Canadians are affected by mood disorders, costing the economy over $6 billion annually. At Sunnybrook, 75% of inpatient mental health admissions are due to mood disorders. Mood disorders are generally recurrent: approximately half of depression is recurrent; chronic bipolar disorder is typical. Use of ratings scales by patients and clinicians to track symptoms has also been shown to enhance outcomes such as remission, medication adherence, and patient engagement. Education is considered a key component of treating mood disorders. However, which educational information is useful can vary: in depression, changes in illness severity have been shown to affect what information is absorbed, and timing is also important.To address this, this project will deliver, for the first time ever, a system for using data from patients with mood disorders' electronic mood journals, integrated into Sunnybrook's "MyChart" personal health record system, to drive just-in-time delivery of educational interventions, using feedback from users to maximize its usefulness.

The purpose of this study is to get a better understanding of the side effect burden and identify predictors of psychotic, mood and aggressive disorders in children and adolescents. The study's primary aim is to identify genetic risk factors for weight gain and metabolic abnormalities.

We are seeking to understand the acceptability of an online yoga class for individuals with mood disorders. MoodNetwork members who are 18 years old or over who have experienced depression, mania, or hypomania are invited to participate. About 200 MoodNetwork participants will take part in this study.

People with serious mental illness often report difficulties with thinking skills like memory. These difficulties can make it harder to perform day-to-day activities. The purpose of this study is to test whether combining a type of non-invasive brain stimulation with computerized cognitive exercises is acceptable to participants, and whether it is helpful in improving a specific type of memory skill in people who have mental health conditions and memory deficits. This study is designed so that all participants will get both treatments: the non-invasive brain stimulation and computerized cognitive exercises. Half of the participants will start with both the brain stimulation and the cognitive exercises (dual therapy), and half will start with just the computerized exercises (monotherapy). After three weeks, participants will switch to the other condition: the people who did both treatments first will switch to just the cognitive exercises alone, and the people who started with the cognitive exercises alone will then switch to doing both the brain stimulation and cognitive exercises. Overall, participants will be in the study for about 7-8 weeks. The brain stimulation treatment involves 10 visits to the clinic over 3 weeks. The computerized cognitive exercises can be done at home, and involve 10 hours of exercises over 3 weeks. Participants will also complete paper-and-pencil assessments at the beginning, middle, and end of treatment.