Active clinical trials for "Depression"

Bright light therapy is an established treatment pathway for sleep and circadian disorders and evidence suggests that it has antidepressant effects. The underlying mechanisms of these antidepressant effects are not fully understood and results from previous studies are somewhat variable. One of the important limitations of previous depression studies has been the heterogeneity of samples in which bright light therapy has been administered. The main aim of this study is to evaluate whether the antidepressant effects of phototherapy in young persons with depression are modulated by changes in the sleep-wake cycle. We hypothesize that more pronounce initial sleep-phase delay will predict better antidepressant response to phototherapy and that the magnitude of changes in depressive symptoms across the course of the intervention will correlate with changes in the sleep-wake cycle.

The primary purpose of this study is to see if it is safe to give patients with pancreatic or head and neck cancer a low dose of the FDA approved anesthetic drug ketamine at the same time they receive radiation and/or chemotherapy for their cancer treatment to prevent depression and its effects. Researchers would also like to see if giving ketamine at the same time as cancer treatment is practical and reasonably acceptable to the patient. New onset depression is highly frequent in those with head and neck cancer, and depression has many negative consequences for outcomes in those patients. Depression has been known to have greater incidence in pancreatic cancer patients than in patients with other malignancies. Therefore, investigators would also like to see if giving patients ketamine during their routine cancer treatment will prevent the onset of depression and its negative effects on cancer treatment outcomes, and also help with anxiety, pain, and quality of life. The study will also use a placebo to compare to the good and/or bad effects of ketamine. A placebo is not an active drug and it will be look the same as ketamine, as a liquid to be taken by mouth. Ketamine is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a general anesthetic by itself for some diagnostic and surgical procedures or combined with other general anesthetic agents. It has also been shown to reduce cancer pain. Ketamine is considered experimental in this study because it is not approved by the FDA for the prevention of depression.

Main objective: to compare the effects of electro-acupuncture and escitalopram oxalate tablets on mild-to-moderate perimenopausal depression, and to evaluate the safety of electroacupuncture stimulation.

The principal clinical question is whether lithium is effective in reducing the risk of suicidal behaviour in subjects with treatment-resistant depression and suicide risk. Additionally aims of the study are: (a) to assess whether lithium is effective in improving depressive symptomatology in subjects with treatment-resistant depression and suicide risk; (b) to assess the tolerability profile of lithium.

The purpose of this study is to investigate, if exposure-based cognitive therapy (EBCT) is at least as effective as the established cognitive-behavioral therapy and more effective in its long-term efficacy. Moreover the mechanisms of change of the EBCT are investigated.

The investigators hypothesis that repetitive transcranial Stimulation (rTMS) is a safe and effective add-on therapy for resistent depression in adolescent patients. A group of adolescents suffering from non psychotic major depression that was resistant to at least 2 drug trials and a trail of psychotherapy will be recruited. After an informed consent procedure for both parents and patients, patients will go through a clinical and cognitive evaluation. They will receive a protocol of 4 weeks (20 work days) of rTMS using the figure of 8 magstim coil at 100% threshold, 42 trains of 4 seconds each, intertrain interval of 30 sec to the LDPC, 1680 pulses per day. Then they will be reevaluated.

Mentalisation based treatment (MBT) for young people with co-morbid depression and emerging personality disorder will be more effective in a day/inpatient setting than treatment as usual.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether pharmacogenomic study of bioamine transporters and peripheral lymphatic biomarkers(phenotype) predict antidepressant responsiveness in advance before the appearance of the drug effects until 4~6 weeks after drug administration.

Background: - Postpartum depression (PPD) is a serious syndrome that resembles a major depressive episode and occurs in 10% to 20% of all mothers in the year following delivery. Women with histories of major depressive disorder (MDD) are at an increased risk for PPD and recurrent PPD with subsequent pregnancies. One possible genetic vulnerability to depression and PPD in particular is the BDNF gene. BDNF is a protein that affects the growth and development of brain cells, including those that help to regulate mood. BDNF levels have been shown to be significantly lower in individuals with depression, including women. Researchers are interested in studying BDNF levels and hormones such as estrogen in pregnant women who have MDD and are at risk for developing PPD. Objectives: - To study connections between the BDNF protein and hormonal levels in pregnant women who are at risk for developing postpartum depression. Eligibility: - Women who are currently pregnant and have a history of major depressive disorder, and either are taking a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) or are not taking an antidepressant. Design: This study involves six visits over the course of 12 months, during the first, second, and third trimesters (if possible) as well as 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months postpartum. Women will be allowed to participate at any point during pregnancy, but researchers are most interested in recruiting women who are in the first trimester. Participants will be screened with a physical examination and medical history, blood samples, and questionnaires about their history of depressive episodes. At each visit, participants will complete a number of questionnaires on depression symptoms, such as sleep disturbance and stress levels. Participants will also provide blood samples for hormone and other testing. Participants who become depressed during the study will be referred to a treating psychiatrist or other professional for appropriate care and treatment.

This double-blind, controlled and randomized study intents to investigate the antidepressive response of rTMS on the elderly population.This is the first neuronavegated pulse intensity corrected study of rTMS in elderly depressed patients.