Active clinical trials for "Depressive Disorder"

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders, with high recurrence rate, suicide rate and disability rate. It's reported that the global burden caused by MDD will be up to the second rank among all the disease burdens by 2020. China is also confronted with the daunting challenges against MDD. It's assessed that the monthly incidence of MDD is 6.1%, non-hospitalizing rate reaches up to 92% and the non-treatment rate is approximate 95%. However, to date, the pathogenesis of MDD is obscure and the current therapies don't work well. Therefore, it's urgent and critical to elucidate the pathogenesis of MDD, to develop early diagnostic criteria and effective intervention in MDD. Considering the diversity of weights on genetic factor and environmental factor in MDD, in this project, the investigators aim firstly to explore the effect of "genetic-environmental interaction"on the pathogeny of MDD for classifying MDD into "genetic type", "environmental type" and "others" based on a case-control study. We next conduct the neurobiological, neurocognitive and psycho-behavioral assessments among MDD, schizophrenia and healthy groups to screen the salient endophenotypes for establishing the diagnostic models of MDD . The investigators further analyse the changes of these indicators after 8 weeks'medication to select the potential predictors for therapeutic evaluations and interventional options in MDD patients. Finally, the investigators continue a 2-year follow-up study to test and verify the predictors of prognosis in MDD patients.

Low frequency rTMS (repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) for the treatment of patients with depression, is responsible for a decrease in the expression of the C-FOS and DUSP1 genes in peripheral blood leukocytes. The decrease in C-FOS expression could be explained by the inhibiting effect of low-frequency rTMS (in contrast, high-frequency rTMS causes activation of the cerebral cortex) [Rossi, 2009]. This genetic effect could correlate with the antidepressant effect [Hausmann, 2000]. According to this hypothesis, the genetic effect related to medical antidepressant treatments deserves to be studied because we could observe: either a decrease in the expression of the C-FOS and DUSP1 genes related to the antidepressant effect of the medical antidepressant treatment, or an increase in the expression of the C-FOS and DUSP1 genes related to cerebral activation due to the medical antidepressant treatment. In summary, we wish to determine the validity of this hypothesis by comparing the genetic effect of rTMS with that of medical antidepressants to know if: this genetic effect is specific to rTMS or common rTMS and medical antidepressants this effect correlates with the clinical improvement induced by rTMS and by medical antidepressants this early modification in the C-FOS and DUSP1 genes may be predictor of the therapeutic response to rTMS and antidepressants (early decrease in gene expression) the absence of any decrease or increase in C-FOS and /or DUSP1 expression is a predictor of therapeutic resistance to rTMS and/or medical antidepressants.

The goal of this proposal is to integrate depression services and diabetes care methods into a web-based collaborative care system so that a single program can assist patients with diabetes and co-morbid depression. The investigators hypothesized that the effect of the intervention program on (a) decreasing depressive symptomatology; (b) improving biomedical outcomes (e.g., blood lipid profiles,blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, and blood pressure). (c) Increasing healthful behavior (medicine compliance, physical activity, diabetic diet);(d)decreasing unhealthful behavior( sedentary activities, smoking, alcohol addiction); (e) improving quality of life.

Background: The childbearing years are a time of increased vulnerability to the onset of mood disorders in women and a high prevalence of exposure to antidepressant drugs during pregnancy and postpartum has been reported. However, the lack of information regarding the milk transfer and the safety of these drugs in breastfed infants and the related fear of adverse events for the sucking infant are some of the factors responsible for stopping prematurely breast-feeding or avoiding drug therapy. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) and selective serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRI) are the most frequently prescribed antidepressant drugs during pregnancy and the post-partum period. They exhibit a wide interpatient variability in their concentration profiles that has been related to numerous environmental, stereochemical, demographic and genetic influences that might alter the level of exposure of breastfed newborns. Limited information is available regarding the safety of use of these antidepressant drugs during lactation, and is generally derived from small studies. A comprehensive description of their distribution and quantification in milk in a larger cohort of patients under various influences and the resulting impact on milk concentrations is lacking. Objectives: The current proposal addresses the primary objectives of quantifying the range of concentration to citalopram, escitalopram, sertraline, fluoxetine, paroxetine, fluvoxamine, duloxetine and venlafaxine in mother plasma and breast milk in relation to genetic polymorphisms, stereochemistry, demographics and environmental factors in a large cohort of depressive mothers. This will enable to derive the exposure to the breast-fed child taking into account this variability and therefore better adjust treatment to potential influences. As secondary objectives, we will examine the neurodevelopmental outcome of a sub-set of infants subjected to SSRI/SNRI in utero and/or during breastfeeding at birth, 6, 18 and 36 months, and compared to that of a control population of infants not subjected to this treatment. Expected Results: The proposed strategy will offer new information regarding the expected level of drug exposure associated with each or with a combination of risk factors and help for optimizing the security and rationalizing the use of antidepressant treatment in lactating women. Hence, research on the safety of use of these drugs for the developing child is an area of great public health significance.

Using a randomized controlled design, the investigators will examine whether the DCM is an effective treatment for patients with late life depression in urban China. Our specific aims are: (1) to determine whether the DCM intervention results in improved outcomes compared with CAU at both the provider (e.g., greater adherence to quality indicators) and patient levels (e.g., greater reduction in depressive symptoms); and (2) to compare DCM with CAU with regard to a range of outcomes in other pertinent domains, both at the provider (e.g., improvements in knowledge/attitudes) and patient (e.g., functioning, satisfaction) levels. The study will take place in 16 primary care clinics (PCCs) randomly assigned to deliver either DCM or CAU (8 clinics each) to 320 patients (aged≥60 years) with major depression (20/clinic; n=160 in each treatment condition). In the DCM arm, PCPs will prescribe 16 weeks of antidepressant medication according to the TG protocol. CMs monitor the progress of treatment and side effects, educate patients/family, and facilitate communication between providers; psychiatrists will provide weekly group psychiatric consultation and CM supervision. Patients in both DCM and CAU arms will be assessed by clinical research coordinators at baseline, 4, 8, 12, 18, and 24 months. HDRS, MMSE, CAS, SF-12, Treatment Stigma and the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire will be used to assess patients' outcomes; and clinic practices, attitudes/knowledge, and satisfaction will be providers' outcomes.

RATIONALE: Telemedicine may help in the treatment of depression and/or pain caused by cancer. It is not yet known whether telemedicine is more effective than standard care in treating depression and/or pain caused by cancer. PURPOSE: This phase III randomized clinical trial is studying telemedicine to see how well it works compared to standard care in treating patients with depression and/or pain caused by cancer.

The RIMAT-De study (Rete Italiana per il Miglioramento dell'Adesione al Trattamento nella Depressione) is a multicentric Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial aiming at identifying the best strategies available to reduce the poor compliance of patients with antidepressant drugs. Patients' compliance will be measured within six months of pharmacological treatment, comparing the specific contributions of brief psychotherapy and psychoeducational interventions: the psychoeducational intervention will encompass the monitoring of drugs' side effects and patients' satisfaction. In the rest of the document, for the sake of brevity the two treatments previously described will be indicated as "psychotherapy" and "psychoeducation". These treatments will be compared with the treatment usually carried on by the mental health centers involved (i.e. treatment as usual, TAU). The factorial design of the study will take into consideration the combination of the two treatments (i.e. psychotherapy and psychoeducation) as well.

This research focuses on disorders of motivation, responsible for a disability that patients experience daily. It is a disorder that affects behavior, especially social. Mechanisms, which result in these disorders, are poorly understood. This ignorance is responsible for the lack of effective therapy. The investigators realize this work in order to better understand the motivational deficits. The objective of the study is to characterize the cognitive mechanisms of motivational deficits in schizophrenia and depression. To answer the question posed in the research, it is planned to include 35 people with schizophrenia, 35 people with depression and 70 heathy volunteers in the Hospital of Sainte-Anne .

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of an active multifactor implementation process of a Computerized Depression Guideline in Primary Care. The CPG-DEPc use use, the key outcomes and its maintenance over time in patients and professionals will be analyzed.

Adolescence is a critical period for the development of depressive disorders. As adolescence also is a critical period for brain maturation, it may be hypothesized that maturation changes in emotional circuits could underlie vulnerability for depression. The aims of the study are (1) to identify the changes in brain morphometry, white matter microstructure, and functioning, in networks associated with depression features in adolescents, and (2) to assess the effects of treated pathology on brain structure by comparing the neuroimaging measures obtained in adolescents at inclusion with those at follow-up.