
Comparison of Thiopental and Propofol as Anaesteticum During ECT
DepressionElectroconvulsive therapy is the most effective treatment in severe depression and the effect is related to the generalized seizure induced by the treatment. General anesthesia is used during the treatment. Since only a brief period of unconsciousness is required anesthetics with a rapid recovery profile are used. Methohexital, a barbiturat, is internationally considered "the golden standard", bot other short-acting anesthetics are used. In Denmark the most frequent used anestheticum for ECT is Thiopental, a barbiturat, but also Propofol, a non-barbiturat, is used in many psychiatric departments. Several studies have shown that Propofol reduce seizure duration in comparison with barbiturates. So far, no studies have demonstrated any clinical implications of the reduced seiziure duration. However, these studies have included rather few patiens, most have been retrospective, and in the only prospective study conducted, uni-lateral ECT was used. The aim of this study is to compare the clinical effect of ECT in patients anesthesized with either Propofol or Thiopental. The hypothesis is that the shorter duration of seizures found with Propofol as anestheticum will increase the number of treatments needed to clinial respons. Furthermore we want to study differences in EEG-relate parameters previously shown to have prognostic value. Hospitalized patients with major depression, who is to be treated with ECT, are randomized to anesthizia with either Thiopental or Propofol. They are rated with Hamilton depression scale and BDI before treatment, after six treatments and when treatment is concluded. When treatment is ended the patients are furthermore rated with MMSE to evaluate their degree of cognitive impairment.

Trial Investigating the Effect of Different Exercise Forms on Depression
DepressionDuring one year, 5-8% of the population will suffer from major depression. Some of the key symptoms are loss of interest in daily activities, loss of energy and sleeping disturbances. The financial consequences of this disease is estimated to be more than 30 million pounds per year in Great Britain and USA alone. There is an increasing interest in the effect exercise has on depression. Smaller studies indicate that exercise is a good treatment for depression. This study will be a large scale randomized trial and will hopefully bring important knowledge on the effects exercise has on depression. We will compare the effect endurance training, weight-lifting exercise and a control group has on depressive symptoms after 4 months training, twice a week.

Changing Minds - Supporting Depressed Elderly People With an Individually Tailored Service Model...
DepressionPsychological Well-BeingDepression is one of the leading causes of emotional suffering in later life. It has been estimated that 2-5% of community-dwelling elderly people suffer from major depression, but according to recent studies, as much as 25 % have clinically significant depressive symptoms.Typically, depressive symptoms in the elderly are treated solely with antidepressants. The aim of this project is to study the effects of a comprehensive psychosocial intervention on the psychological well-being, quality of life and use of services in depressed elderly people. In addition, the processes of intervention are studied from the perspective of the participants as well as the service system. The research is conducted in collaboration with the city of Espoo. The design of the study combines clinical trial with qualitative process analysis.

Pharmacogenetic Study of Mirtazapine Response in Depressed Patients
DepressionThe purpose of this study is to determine whether pharmacogenetic study predict Mirtazapine responsiveness in advance before the appearance of the drug effect until 4-6 weeks after administration of Mirtazapine.

Trial of the Clinical and Cost Effectiveness of a Specialist Expert Mood Disorder Team for Refractory...
Chronic Unipolar Depressive DisorderThe purpose of this study is determine whether a specialised mood disorder service, which offers tailored psychological and pharmacological treatment, is more effective in the treatment of chronic unipolar depressive disorder then treatment as usual.

REPETITIVE TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION IN the Treatment of DEPRESSION
DepressionSubjects received rTMS daily on 10 consecutive weekdays (five sessions per week), during 20 minutes per session.During the rTMS session, the coil was centered flat over the right parietal cortex. We follow the patient during 12 weeks after the 2 weeks of tms (follow-up period) to measure the depression with different rating scales. We hypothesized that rTMS has a positive effect in the treatment of depression

Efficacy of 18-Months of Antidepressive Medication Plus CBT or Dynamic or Supportive Psychotherapy...
Major DepressionMajor Depressive Disorder affects approximately 16% of the adult population over the lifetime. Controlled studies indicate that short-term antidepressive medications or psychotherapy produce full remission in only about 46% of patients. Furthermore, about 80% of patients will continue to have subsequent recurrences after remission of the first episode, with each episode increasing the probability of future recurrences. This pilot study will examine whether antidepressive medications plus one of three commonly available types of psychotherapy used in the short-term treatment of depression can protect against the recurrence of depression if active treatment is extended to 18-months duration. Results will aid designing a more complete study. Adults with an acute episode of major depressive disorder with at least one prior episode will be randomized to Antidepressive medications (ADM) plus 18-months of either Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or Dynamic psychotherapy (DYN), or to a standard control therapy, Supportive Clinical Management (SUP-CM). We will determine whether a higher percentage of those receiving either CBT or DYN remain well after three years of follow-up, compared to those receiving the standard control treatment. We will also examine the reduction in psychological risk factors as well as potential economic benefits of the three approaches.

Factors Affecting Weight Gain in Women Receiving Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer
DepressionStage I Breast Cancer5 moreRATIONALE: Chemotherapy may affect various factors that can lead to weight gain. PURPOSE: Clinical trial to evaluate factors that may affect weight gain in women receiving adjuvant chemotherapy for stage I, stage II, or stage IIIA breast cancer.

Comparison of Two Forms of Oxcarbazepine for the Treatment of Bipolar Depression
Bipolar DepressionTreatment Effectiveness1 moreConsenting subjects with Bipolar depression will remain under the care of their local (psychiatric) care provider and be randomized to a six week course of one of two forms of oxcarbazepine (extended release or immediate release. Study outcomes will be assessed based on outcome measures administered to the subject at home by a computer simulated rater. Local care providers will receive "pre-assessment" reports ahead of each clinical visit, rate the Clinical Global Impression for Severity, and evaluate adverse effects. The primary outcome variable is "treatment effectiveness" operationally defined as the response rate X the completion rate.

Adjunct Interpersonally Focused Psychodynamic Group Psychotherapy for Residual Depression Symptoms...
DepressionAnxietyDepression and anxiety disorders, even when treated according to standard of care consisting of individual treatment with medication and/or therapy, can be associated with significant residual impact on quality of life. The purpose of this research is carry out an observational study of an existing clinical treatment, adjunctive interpersonally focused psychodynamic group therapy, to determine if this can improve quality of life for patients who have residual symptoms of chronic depression and anxiety.