
Evaluation of a Psychoeducation Group Program for Mild/Moderate Depression
Depressive DisordersThe purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness and efficiency of doing a psychoeducational group program and the conventional treatment versus individual conventional care in patients with a mild/moderate depression disorder,in urban primary healthcare centers in Barcelona city.

Escitalopram Combination Comparison Study for Adult Patients With Major Depressive Disorder
Major Depressive DisorderThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness, safety and tolerability of an escitalopram combination treatment compared to single treatments, and to placebo in patients with major depressive disorder.

Clinical Pharmacogenomics of Antidepressant Response
Major DepressionThe study includes two components:(1) cross-sectional (Study I), and (2) longitudinal treatment trial (Study II). The cross-sectional component will include all subjects initially recruited for the parent project. Genotyping characteristics will be compared with clinical status (i.e., recovered vs symptomatic). The treatment trial component (one) will include a subset of the subjects (n = 400) who remain significantly depressed. They will be randomly assigned to 8-weeks of treatment with either citalopram or paroxetine. With such a design, we wish to test the following hypotheses: Ⅰ. Depressed patients with the short variant of the serotonin transporter (5HTTLPR) will respond faster and better to antidepressants compared to their counterparts with the long variant. Concurrently, patients with the 5-HTT Stin2 12/12 allele will also show better response as compared to those with the 10/12 allele. Ⅱ. Depressed patients who are homozygous for deficient or less active CYP2D6 or CYP2C19 enzyme(s) will be more likely to show treatment emergent side effects compared to subjects with the wildtype alleles. Specifically, in Study II, CYP2D6 polymorphism will predict PAR but not CIT side effects and CYP2C19 polymorphism will be associated with CIT but not PAR side effects.

Desvenlafaxine Succinate (DVS) for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in Midlife Men and Women
Major Depressive DisorderMenopausal Staging and Vasomotor Symptoms (for Females)The main objective of this study is to characterize a range of brain activation symptoms associated with depression and response to treatment in midlife men and women with MDD, using MRI and functional MRI. Moreover, in the female sub-group, the investigators will examine whether these brain activation symptoms are related to menopausal symptoms (i.e., hot flashes and night sweats). Also, assessing brain activation before and after the treatment might help to uncover some mechanisms associated with the pathophysiology of depression and menopause.

Behavioral Insomnia Therapy For Those With Insomnia and Depression
InsomniaMajor Depressive DisorderThis study is a randomized clinical trial to test the efficacy of Cognitive-Behavioral Insomnia Therapy when used in isolation or in combination with antidepressant medication (escitalopram) among patients with Major depressive disorder and insomnia.

ECT/Succinylcholine: Biochemical, Serum and Cardiovascular Changes
DepressionThis study will be conducted to determine the pharmacodynamics, cardiovascular and biochemical effects of succinylcholine when given during electroconvulsive therapy. (ECT). This is a single center, prospective, study in patients who will be receiving ECT as indicated and prescribed by their psychiatrist. The study will be performed twice on each patient, 48-72 hours apart during consecutively scheduled ECT procedures.

Efficacy of Adjunctive Tianeptine in the Treatment of Bipolar Depression
Bipolar DisorderOne of the main challenges in the treatment of Bipolar Disorder (BD) is to achieve better functioning outcomes after syndromal recovery. Even treatment-responsive patients, who remain symptomatically well for extended periods of time, frequently demonstrate sub-threshold symptoms and continuing psychosocial morbidity and cognitive impairment. The cognitive impairment that persists during interepisode periods stands out as a major correlate of functional impairment, and may be a core aspect of the BD pathophysiology. In this context, tianeptine stands out as a therapeutic agent with unique properties, which match most of the conditions found in BD. This is an enriched maintenance study of the use of tianeptine as an adjunctive therapy in bipolar depression. All participants will receive tianeptine in an open label manner for a period of two months, following which they will be assigned randomly to the treatment with tianeptine or placebo in a double-blind fashion for six months. All patients will remain on treatment as usual for the duration of the trial. Along with clinical response, the investigators will prospectively evaluate the improvement in working and declarative memory, two cognitive prefrontal- and hippocampus-dependent processes, respectively, and the effects of tianeptine on serum BDNF levels.

Paroxetines Effect on Tramadols Metabolism and Pharmakodynamics: a Dose Response Study
DepressionPainThe purpose of the study is to examine the connection between the dose of paroxetine and the effect of paroxetine on tramadols metabolism and thereby the effect of tramadol on the median pupil size. In the study 12 healthy volunteers are going through 5 phases where they are suppose to consume a determined dose of tramadol and 5 various doses of paroxetine corresponding to the 5 phases. Fig 1. phases 1 2 3 4 5 Dosis Tramadol mg 50 50 50 50 50 Dosis Paroxetine mg Placebo 10 20 30 50 Paroxetin / placebo 2 ½ placebo 2 placebo 1 ½ placebo 1 placebo tablets ½ paroxetine 1 paroxetine 1 ½ paroxetine 2 ½ paroxetine Fig. 1 summary of the 5 phases There is a variation in the time where maximal plasma concentration is obtained in consumption of respectively tramadol (1 - 2 hours) and paroxetine (6 hours). For that reason there has to be at least 6 hours between the administration of paroxetine and tramadol. The healthy volunteer brings the research medicine home and consumes it before bedtime the night before the day of the study. At eight o'clock next morning the healthy volunteer arrives to the first pupil measurement and consumption of tramadol. Tree hours later the next pupil measurement is carried through. The healthy volunteer accumulates his or her urine until 2 pm. As paroxetine is a irreversible inhibitor of the enzyme CYP2D6 there has to go at least 14 days before the next phase takes place. In that amount of time there can be recreated a new pool of enzyme.

PEARL Intervention to Reduce Depression Among Adults With Epilepsy
DepressionEpilepsyThe purpose of this study is to test the effectiveness of a home-based depression treatment intervention called "Program to Encourage Active, Rewarding Lives (PEARL)". We hypothesize that over a 12-month period, compared to usual care, those receiving the PEARL intervention will show more improvement with their depression, have higher quality of life and function, and use fewer medical services.

Patient-Centered Depression Care for African Americans
Major Depressive DisorderThe investigators propose to answer the following research question: Does a multifaceted, culturally tailored intervention that focuses on the specific concerns and preferences of African American patients with depression and their primary care providers improve the processes and outcomes of care for African Americans to a greater degree than a standard state-of-the art depression intervention? This study will determine whether two new educational programs can improve the care for depression in African Americans. These programs may include visits with a depression case manager and access to educational materials, such as a videotape, a calendar, pamphlets, and books. One program is a standard quality improvement program for depression that has been shown to be effective in most patients. The other program is similar, but has materials that focus more on the patient's specific culture, beliefs, values, and preferences.