Active clinical trials for "Depression"

This study examines the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP) in reducing both alcohol consumption and depressive symptoms in adults who are chronically depressed and alcohol dependent.

This is an exploratory prospective observational cohort study to establish the levels of psychological distress in early phase clinical trial patients and evaluate the psychological impact of early phase clinical trials on cancer patients. Participants will be requested to complete self-reported questionnaires, measuring levels of anxiety, depression and hope, at different time points along the clinical trials pathway.

Stroke survivors and their family caregivers often experience stress, anxiety, and depression. The psychological wellbeing of stroke survivors and family caregivers is thought to be interconnected and can have an important role to play in rehabilitation outcomes. Mindfulness meditation can help improve psychological wellbeing, but it often involves people attending groups by themselves and engagement can be poor. One solution is for stroke survivors and family caregivers to learn mindfulness meditation together online. This study aims to explore the feasibility, appropriateness, meaningfulness, and effectiveness of mindfulness meditation delivered online for stroke survivor and family caregiver partnerships.

Depression is one of the most common psychiatric diseases, with prevalence estimates ranging from 5% to 20%. Depression is now recognized as a brain disease; it can be managed and treated effectively with a wide range of options, but its biological basis is still far from clear. Studies of monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs suggest polygenic inheritance, with an overall heritability estimate between 40% and 70 %. Gene-environment interaction has been recognized for a long time in the pathophysiology of depression, and its best biological substratum at present is represented by the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene. It would be interesting to study association between the novel allelic variants or at least the triallelic 5-HTTLPR polymorphism and depression. Depression is common in patients with end-stage renal disease and to occur in about 20% to 30% of hemodialysis patients. Interferon-induced depression is estimated up to 50% among patients with hepatitis C. Several sets of observations support the supposition that cytokines, and proinflammatory cytokines in particular, are involved in depressive disorders. Depression sufferers have been reported to have elevated blood levels of interleukin 1 (IL-1), IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α).

Through a recent cross species translational experiment, researchers have identified a set of epigenetic marks capable of predicting postpartum depression with greater than 85% accuracy. The researchers are looking to identify a group of women from both the general population and those with a history of mood disorders who are at risk for postpartum depression and obtain brain imaging data at a postpartum time period prior to the onset of depressive symptoms and compare it with those obtained during depressive episodes. The researchers will also evaluate the efficacy of postpartum depression biomarker prediction.

The purpose of this research is to understand if it is helpful for patients with mental illness to be connected to a psychiatrist and case manager at the time of cancer diagnosis.

The Mindfulness Intervention as Myocardial Infarction Rehabilitation Additive (MIMIRA) study aimed at studying the feasibility and acceptability of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction - an 8 week course in meditation and yoga - in patients with a recent coronary artery event and elevated depressive symptoms. To address these questions patients with elevated scores on a depression scale were invited to participate in MBSR, and there evaluation of the course as well as a panel of psychological risk factors and resources was measured.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of quetiapine in actual clinical settings.

One in three Black boys born today in the United States will be incarcerated at some point in their lifetime, compared to one in 17 White boys. Black males are more likely to be arrested, convicted, and given unfair sentences. Black youth comprise of 16% of the Nation's public schools, but account for 32% of suspended students. For over 30 years, research has consistently highlighted the disproportionately severe disciplinary practices used with Black male students.Consistent research demonstrates that students who are suspended or expelled tend to drop out of school and/or become incarcerated in a juvenile detention center. Black students may relate their racial-ethnic identity, such as their understanding of their race and ethnicity, to academic success. Moreover, their attitudes may result from the expectation of their teachers. It is imperative that advocates devoted to positive youth development intervene to this issue negatively affecting the well-being of Black youth. Under the mentorship of Caitlin Sayegh, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow Tierra Ellis, Ph.D., has developed a 9-session group intervention called Black Youth M.A.T.T.E.R. (BYM), which aims to debunk mental health stigma, help children shift their cognitive distortions about education, and normalize their experiences through group activities, while introducing them to advocacy and self-empowerment. This intervention may decrease mental health symptoms, increase motivation to approach goal-oriented outcomes, and reverse internalized beliefs and attitudes which may foster more positive perceptions related to school.

Psychiatric disturbances, notably depression, occur frequently as co-morbid conditions with epilepsy. A complex, probably bidirectional relationship between epilepsy and depression has been postulated. Both epilepsy and depression also interact with stressful life events, but only some patients develop these disorders after a stressful event, indicating the possibility of a "vulnerable" population. Animal and human studies have looked at the role of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in this context. Low serum and/or CSF levels of BDNF are associated with higher incidence of depression, and thus indicate the vulnerable population. Animal studies of BDNF have looked specifically at the relation between epilepsy and depression using a novel "double hit" design. After chronic stress exposure, measurement of BDNF levels allowed identification of 2 sub-groups: a vulnerable population and non-vulnerable population. A "second hit" of kainic acid induced status epilepticus (SE) was then applied to both the vulnerable and non-vulnerable populations. Only the vulnerable population exposed to SE developed a depression-like profile. In a proof of concept approach we propose studying the relation between epilepsy, depression, anxiety and stressful life events, using serum BDNF levels in patients with pharmacoresistant epilepsy. Evaluation of epilepsy type and co-morbid psychiatric profile will be performed in 150 subjects. By comparing BDNF levels for different epilepsy subgroups to BDNF levels for healthy subjects and for depressed subjects without epilepsy, we hope to identify whether risk of co-morbid depression and/or anxiety in epilepsy may be predicted using BDNF levels. In addition, in a subgroup of 25 patients, we propose a pilot study in which cortisol and C-reactive protein will be measured in addition to BDNF.