Active clinical trials for "Depression"

As of May 21st, 2012, the purpose of this study is to test the antidepressant effect of ketamine when given repeatedly over a period of 1 week, as well as the use of Lithium as a relapse-prevention strategy for patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) who respond to an initial series of ketamine infusions. Ketamine is a Food and Drug Administration approved anesthetic (a drug used to produce loss of consciousness before and during surgery). Ketamine is not approved for the treatment of major depressive disorder and is considered experimental in this study.

We proposed to examine the effect of an aerobic exercise intervention on depression in persons with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). We will compare persons with chronic brain injury who are assigned to receive the exercise intervention with those in the control group to determine the effect of exercise on levels of depression and specific symptoms related to depression including anxiety, pain, sleep, and cognition. In addition, the effect of exercise on activity, participation level, and quality of life will be examined. HYPOTHESES: Participation in an aerobic exercise intervention will decrease the severity of depression in persons with chronic TBI. Participation in an aerobic exercise intervention will lead to improvements in negative symptoms associated with depression including anxiety, insomnia, pain, and impaired cognitive functioning. Participation in an aerobic exercise intervention will be related to improvements in activity and participation for patients with TBI. Participation in an aerobic exercise intervention will lead to improvements in perceptions of quality of life.

This study will evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in treating people with depression and type 2 diabetes.

Purpose : This study will determine whether MK-0657, a selective NR2B Antagonist, can quickly improve symptoms of depressed mood, psychomotor retardation, poor motivation and reduced enjoyment of things in patients with major depression. MK-0657 decreases the activity of a brain receptor called NMDA, which the chemical glutamate binds to, possibly inducing a rapid antidepressant response. People between 18 and 55 years of age who have major depression of at least 4 weeks' duration and have not been helped by two antidepressants approved for major depression may be eligible for this study. Women who are able to have children are excluded. Participants are admitted to the NIH Clinical Center for two study phases, as follows. Phase I (1 to 2 weeks): Patients are tapered off their current medications. Phase II (7 weeks): Patients are randomly assigned to take either MK-0657 or placebo (look-alike capsules with no active ingredient) by mouth for 12 days. At some point during the second part this phase, patients who had been taking MK-0657 are switched over to placebo and those who had been taking placebo are switched to MK-0657. Participants undergo the following procedures during the study:Physical examination twice (at the beginning and at the end of the study) Electrocardiogram (ECG) four times Blood tests about six times Rating scales up to 28 times to assess the effects of MK-0657 on mood and thinking Blood pressure measurements three times a day. Study examines the effectiveness of a new medication, targeting a system called glutamate, will improve depression when compared with placebo.

Depression is a medical condition characterized by feeling sad even when good things happen, having low energy and motivation, and sometimes even experiencing suicidal thoughts. Bipolar II Disorder is an illness in which periods of depression alternate with periods of abnormally elevated mood, energy and activity, referred to as hypomania. After Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar II Disorder is the most common cause of depression. Unfortunately, antidepressant medications, used alone, do not work as well in treating Bipolar depression as they do in treating other kinds of depression. Lamotrigine is a medication which studies show is effective in treating Bipolar depression. The investigators will determine if lamotrigine works best to treat Bipolar II depression if it is used alone, or if it is taken with an antidepressant. In the first part of our investigation, people with Bipolar II depression who have not responded to an antidepressant will either add lamotrigine to their antidepressant, or will stop the antidepressant and take lamotrigine alone. They will see the study doctor for 6 visits over 8 weeks, and will answer questions about their depressive symptoms and their overall health. The purpose of this study phase is to determine which treatment works best to treat active Bipolar depression. In the second part of the study, people who have responded to their assigned treatment may continue to receive it for another 44 weeks. They will see the study doctor monthly, and will answer similar questions about their health. Participants will also receive a physical examination and get a blood test three times during the study. The purpose of the second phase is to ascertain which treatment is best at preventing relapses of depression. The investigators hypothesize that people who take Lamotrigine plus an antidepressant will recover from their depression more completely, have a longer period of wellness, and have better quality of life compared to those taking Lamotrigine alone.

This study will assess the safety, tolerability and efficacy of desvenlafaxine succinate sustained release (DVS SR) in subjects with major depressive disorder.

Desvenlafaxine succinate (DVS) is a potent and selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI). This study will investigate the safety, efficacy, and tolerability of DVS SR versus escitalopram in women with major depressive disorder (MDD) who are postmenopausal.

To evaluate the antidepressant effect of adjunctive treatment with Eszopiclone in subjects receiving venlafaxine for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).

Bipolar affective disorder (BPAD) is: A serious mental illness Estimated to be present in as high as 6.4% of the population in Western populations Associated with considerable disability and high morbidity. Characterized by periods of both lowered and elevated mood (i.e. depression and mania/hypomania respectively). The depressive aspect of bipolar disorder is often overlooked, possibly due to its less dramatic nature, despite its significant impact on the lives of those affected. Bipolar depression (BPAD-DP) is associated with a twenty fold increased risk of suicide, and typically lasts three to five times as long as a manic or hypomanic episode. Despite this, there has been relatively sparse investigation of treatments for BPAD-DP, with guidelines based primarily on expert judgment rather than clinical trials. In addition a significant proportion of patients with bipolar depression do not respond to the range of commonly used medications. One of the only substantially new treatments developed for unipolar depression in recent years has been the advent of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Repetitive TMS has been evaluated in over 20 trials conducted over the last ten years, but no substantive trials have explored its use in bipolar depression. We propose to do this, conducting a large scale clinical trial. The trial will include the assessment of both high frequency left sided rTMS (as there is clearly the greatest evidence for the effectiveness of this in unipolar depression) and low frequency right sided rTMS (as this there is growing evidence of the effectiveness of this in unipolar depression and we have an excellent pilot study to suggest its potential in BPAD-DP and it has never previously been assessed in a clinical trial exclusively targeting this patient group). Our previous research strongly supports the effectiveness of rTMS paradigms including low frequency right-sided stimulation in unipolar depression and suggests these may have value in BPAD-DP. As BPAD-DP is clearly a clinical problem of significant impact and with limited treatment options, there is a pressing need for the development and definitive testing of novel treatments such as rTMS.

This study will determine the effectiveness of a health education intervention in reducing health risk behavior and improving health in adolescents with depression.