Active clinical trials for "Depression"

Understanding depression from a relational perspective maybe more meaningful in Chinese culture due to the different values and beliefs among Chinese comparing to those of the Western cultures. The PI and his associates developed a Cognitive Behavioural Couple Therapy model for Chinese couples with a depressed partner receiving mental health services in a community mental health centre in Hong Kong between 2018 and 2019. With consideration of the limitations in a pilot study conducted by the PI, modifications are made in the current study. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a cognitive behavioural couple therapy model for Chinese couples with a depressed partner in Hong Kong. A comparison approach involving cognitive behavioural couple therapy (CBCT), emotional focused couple therapy (EFCT) and a wait-list control group on their short-term and long-term effects, as well as differential benefits will be examined. A set of questionnaires will be filled out by the 135 participants (45 in each arm) before the intervention (T0), after the intervention (T1), and 6-month after the intervention (T2). It is hypothesized that comparing to the control group, participants in CBCT and EFCT conditions will have greater improvements in outcomes at T1 and T2. There will be differential therapeutic effects of CBCT and EFCT on the various outcomes. Different mediating effects behind the changes in the outcomes in the two conditions will be examined. The study will contribute to the current literature by evaluating the effectiveness of culturally-attuned CBCT and EFCT. New insights will be added to the current therapeutic approaches for couples with a depressed partner. A sets of questionnaires will be assessed before the intervention (T0), after the intervention (T1), and 6-month after the intervention (T2). It is hypothesized that comparing to the control group, participants in CBCT and EFCT conditions will have greater improvements in outcomes at T1 and T2. Also, they may receive differential therapeutic effects of CBCT and EFCT on different outcomes. Different mediating effects behind the changes in the outcomes will be examined. The study will contribute to the current literature by evaluating the effectiveness of culturally-attuned CBCT and EFCT. Insights may be provide to the current therapeutic approach for couples with depressed partners.

The treatment of depression, anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a main public health problem due to the frequency of these pathologies and the very partial effectiveness of the existent therapies. These illnesses generally require the prescription of several successive lines of antidepressant treatments before the treatments actually become effective, leading to a several week delay during which the patient suffers from the symptoms of his/her pathology and is also likely to experience the side effects of the treatment. Pharmacogenetics is an individualized prescribing modality that aims to predict the most favorable treatment for a given individual based on the study of genetic variants of cytochromes. The main hypothesis of this research is that the use of pharmacogenetics in routine practice in a population of military personnel requiring a first prescription of an antidepressant is of interest to improve the tolerance and effectiveness of the treatment.

Depression and anxiety disorders rank in the top ten causes of years lived with disability. Less than 50% of patients experiencing long-lasting improvements to current gold-standard treatments. Two gold-standard behavioral interventions include behavioral activation, focused on enhancing approach behavior towards meaningful activities, and exposure-based therapy, focused on decreasing avoidance and challenging negative expectations. While these interventions have divergent treatment targets, there is little knowledge to inform which strategies should be used in the frequent case of comorbid anxiety and depression. Approach-avoidance decision-making paradigms focus on assessing responses when faced with potential rewards and threats, tapping into processes important for both anxiety and depression as well as behavioral activation and exposure-based therapy. For this study, investigators will recruit individuals reporting both anxiety and depression symptoms and randomize them to one of three different interventions: (1) behavioral activation, (2) exposure-based therapy, and a non-specific therapy approach (3) supportive therapy. Participants will complete clinical, self-report, behavioral, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) assessments before and after therapy. Investigators will use a computational approach to model factors that may influence one's behavior during approach-avoidance decision-making, including drives to avoid threat versus approach reward and confidence versus uncertainty in one's decisions. This project will accomplish the following aims (1) Determine how changes in brain and behavior responses during approach-avoidance conflict relate to changes in mental health symptoms with the different therapy approaches, (2) Determine the degree to which baseline brain and behavior responses during approach-avoidance conflict predict response to the different therapy approaches, above and beyond the influence of demographics and baseline symptom severity. In addition, by including peripheral blood draws and measures of grace matter volume, the project will also accomplish the following aims: (1) Determine whether kynrenine metabolites measures peripherally may be beneficial as a biomarker of treatment response and (2) determine whether there is an association between change in kynurenine metabolites and changes in gray matter volume with treatment. Results will enhance understanding of how different psychotherapy approaches (behavioral activation, exposure-based therapy) may impact brain responses and decisions when faces with potential reward versus threat and approach versus avoidance drives. In addition, results will have important implications concerning the potential for a more personalized approach to psychotherapy, enhancing knowledge of which types of therapy strategies may be most beneficial for which individuals.

The overall objective of this current study is to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and tolerability of "high dose" aiTBS in psychiatric inpatient and outpatients with treatment-refractory unipolar, non-psychotic major depressive disorder, using patients receiving ECT as an active comparator. Developing a better understanding of the feasibility and tolerability of adapting this treatment to an acutely ill patient population could lead to huge breakthroughs for clinician decision-making and for the further optimization of brain stimulation depression protocols. The results of this study can help guide future confirmatory efficacy trials of high-dose aiTBS by providing a better understanding of how feasibility, safety and tolerability compare to ECT, as well as unforeseen challenges of its use.

The purpose of this study is to test whether a web-based (eHealth) exercise intervention for new moms at increased risk for postpartum depression increases physical activity and decreases postpartum depression symptoms.

The purpose of this research study is to find out about ways to enhance well-being during pregnancy and the postpartum period (after the baby is born). The "Mamma Mia" program and/or guided support from study staff ("Mamma Mia Plus") may be helpful because the app provides skills and information related to many important topics during and after pregnancy. This study will allow us to learn more about whether and how the program is helpful to women.

The objective of this randomized controlled trial is to evaluate and compare the efficacy of group-based lifestyle medicine intervention and cognitive-behavioral therapy for depression (CBT-D) for Chinese adults with depressive symptoms. Prior to all study procedures, eligible participants will be required to complete an online informed consent (with telephone support). Around 40 eligible participants aged between 18 to 65 with depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9] ≥ 10) will be randomly assigned to the Lifestyle Medicine group (LM group), or the CBT-D group in a ratio of 1:1. Participants in both groups will receive interventions either through lifestyle medicine intervention or CBT-D group therapy for 6 consecutive weeks. The outcomes of interest will include depressive, anxiety, and insomnia symptoms, quality of life, functional impairment, and health-promoting behaviours at baseline (week 0), immediate (week 7) and 3-month post-intervention assessments (week 19). Treatment credibility and acceptability will be collected before and immediately after treatment.

The objective of this pilot randomized controlled trial is to evaluate the efficacy and acceptability of self-help forest bathing on depression, anxiety, and stress in the Hong Kong adult population. Prior to all study procedures, eligible participants will be required to complete an online informed consent form (with telephone support). Around 80 eligible participants aged between 18 to 65 years old with at least a mild level of depression, anxiety, or stress symptoms will be randomly assigned to either the self-help forest bathing intervention group (FB group) or the waitlist control group (WL group) in a ratio of 1:1. Participants in the FB group will receive forest bathing guidance via an in-house smartphone app. The WL group will be asked to maintain their typical activity in week 1-7. This group will receive the guide upon trial completion in week 8. The outcomes of the interest will include generalized anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, insomnia symptoms, wellbeing, health-related quality of life, functional impairment at baseline (week 0), immediate (week 7), and 1-month post-intervention assessments (week 10). Treatment credibility and acceptability will be collected at baseline and immediately after the intervention.

The study investigates the effectiveness of the mindfulness-based intervention "Mindful with your Baby" in women with babies between 5-9 months postpartum who experience heightened levels of postpartum depression, anxiety and/or parental stress. The intervention "Mindful with your Baby" is one of the very few interventions for maternal postnatal mental health issues that takes the bond between mother and infant into account. It is hypothesized that the "Mindful with your Baby" intervention will reduce levels of postpartum depression, anxiety and parental stress, and improve mother-infant behavioral interaction and increase neural synchrony between mother and infant brains.

The purpose of the study is to determine how cognitive control training (CCT) changes behavior in youth with subclinical depressive symptoms. This research will show what types of behavior changes are important for CCT to help reduce depressive symptoms. In the future, we will use this information to try to improve how we prevent the development of depression, so that it can help more patients.