Active clinical trials for "Depression"

The purpose of this study is to evaluate alterations in sympathetic tone in patients with major depression with and without ischemic heart disease and then to reevaluate these patients after 8 treatments with electroconvulsive therapy(ECT). We expect to support the hypothesis that HRV are pathophysiologically associated with the state of major depression. We hypothesize the following: Heart rate variability (HRV) will be decreased prior to treatment of depression in comparison to post-treatment measures of HRV. After 8 treatments with ECT, HRV will be increased under basal conditions.

Spinal Administration of opioids offers segmental analgesia, but has side effects including pruritus, nausea and vomiting, urinary retention, hypotension, and respiratory depression, both early and delayed. Many Centres in the UK now routinely use supplementation of spinal anaesthesia from bupivacaine with intrathecal fentanyl or diamorphine. If Fentanyl is used, this is usually accompanied by connection to a i.v. Morphine patient-controlled analgesia (PCA)-device in the postoperative period, whereas the use of intrathecal diamorphine seems to result in a reduction in post-operative morphine requirements, which has obviated the need for PCA devices in many centres. There has been recent controversy over which opioid is safer to use with regards to the risk of respiratory depression.1,2 The investigators want to investigate, whether intrathecal diamorphine causes less or more post-operative respiratory depression in healthy mothers undergoing elective caesarean section than intrathecal fentanyl plus post-operative morphine PCA.

This study will use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine how the brain regulates emotions in healthy people and in patients who have major depression and anhedonia (loss of feeling of pleasure in things that normally give pleasure). Healthy normal volunteers and patients between 18 and 50 years of age with major depression, with or without significant anhedonia, are eligible for this study. Candidates will be screened with a psychiatric interview, a physical examination that will include blood and urine samples, and an electrocardiogram, and a questionnaire about their emotions. Participants will perform a monetary reward task while lying in an MRI scanner. The task is similar to playing a computer video game with the possibility of winning cash. The amount of cash is largely dependent on the subject's performance. The accumulated amount of cash earned in a session will fluctuate depending on the subject's continuing performance level. That is, during a single session, a subject could lose money earned early in the session if his or her performance later in the session is not as good as earlier. MRI pictures will be taken during performance of the task. MRI uses a magnetic field and radio waves to produce images of body tissues and organs. The patient lies on a table that is moved into the scanner (a narrow cylinder) and wears earplugs to muffle loud knocking and thumping sounds that occur during the scanning process. The procedure will last about 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

RATIONALE: Studying quality of life in cancer survivors may help determine the long-term effects of breast cancer and may help improve the quality of life for future cancer survivors. PURPOSE: This clinical trial is studying the quality of life in African-American or Caucasian female breast cancer survivors.

The purpose of this retrospective study is to determine if there is an increase in postpartum depression (PPD) among women who undergo an emergency cesarean section as opposed to a planned cesarean section. We will analyze the hospital and clinic medical records of postpartum women who delivered by cesarean section (CS) at Tulsa Regional Medical Center between January 1, 2003, and June 1, 2005, and who obtained their postpartum care at the OSU Ob/Gyn Clinic in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We will record whether the cesarean was planned or emergent, and we will note the score they received on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale when they came to the clinic for their four-week postpartum visit. A score of 12 or lower on the EPDS will be considered "not depressed", and a score of 13 or higher will be considered "depressed." Numbers of depressed patients will be compared among the two types of cesarean sections and analyzed for statistical differences using the chi-squared method of analysis.

This study will examine the effect of a class of antidepressant medications called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) on platelet function. Platelets are small blood cells that help stop bleeding after injury to a blood vessel by forming a clot, or plug, in the vessel. Some medications impair platelet function, leading to increased bruising and bleeding. SSRIs decrease an important platelet component called serotonin, which may cause bleeding in some patients. SSRIs include fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), paroxetine (Paxil), fluvoxamine (Luvox) and citalopram (Celexa). Patients 18 years of age and older being treated for depression with a SSRI or the non-SSRI bupropion (Wellbutrin) may be eligible for this study. Subjects will be recruited from a private clinic in Washington, D.C. Participants will provide a history of their current medications and past history of bleeding. They will have about 4 tablespoons of blood drawn for tests to measure blood cell counts and platelet function. The study takes about 1 hour. The results of the SSRI-treated group and the bupropion-treated group will be analyzed and compared. This study may provide information that will help health care providers make treatment decisions to minimize possible adverse effects of medications in patients with depression.

Serotonin is a chemical involved in regulation of emotions, anxiety, sleep, stress hormones, and other body functions. The purpose of this study is to use a procedure called tryptophan depletion to study the function of serotonin in people with depression and in healthy volunteers. Major depressive disorder (MDD) has been associated with reduced functioning of central serotonergic systems. Tryptophan depletion (TD) is a procedure used to investigate the relationship between serotonergic function and depression. Evidence suggests that the mood lowering effects of TD depend upon family history and differences in genes for a specific protein called 5-HTTLPR. Healthy females with a particular gene for 5-HTTLPR and a family history of mood disorders appear to be at a greater risk for the development of depressive symptoms during TD. This study will use positron emission tomography (PET) scans of the brain to investigate the effect of variant 5-HTTLPR genotypes on response to TD. The relationship between 5-HTTLPR genotypes and the effect of TD on brain activity in individuals with different 5-HTTLPR genes will be determined. This study will also examine how the reduced serotonin function that occurs in MDD affects the brain's response to sensory stimulation. Participants in this study will be screened by telephone about their psychiatric and medical history, current emotional state, anxiety and sleep patterns, and family history of psychiatric disorders. At study entry, participants will have an interview, physical examination, electrocardiogram (EKG), and blood and laboratory tests. Menstruating women will have a pregnancy test and tests to determine menstrual phase and time of ovulation. At the second clinic visit, participants will undergo tests of intelligence and cognitive abilities and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the brain. Prior to Visits 3 and 4, participants will collect their saliva and urine. Menstruating women will have a pregnancy test. At Visits 3 and 4, participants will undergo TD studies and PET scanning. During one of these visits, participants will take capsules of an amino acid. On the other day, they will take lactose capsules. Throughout the study, participants will be asked about their emotional state, anxiety, ability to concentrate, and well being. ...

This research study is the continuation of a study started more than 20 years ago. The study was designed to explore the effect that depressed parents have on their children and to better understand the factors that contribute to depression development and maintenance. The study will continue to investigate if children have certain characteristics in early and middle childhood that predict the later development of psychological disorders. In addition, the study will continue looking at the processes responsible for the development of children of parents with and without affective (mood) disorders.

The purpose of this study is to examine calcium absorption and bone mineral density in women with depression. Research indicates that pre-menopausal women with depression have significantly lower bone mineral density (BMD) than pre-menopausal women without depression. Although the mechanisms of BMD loss are unclear, researchers believe that individuals with depression have impaired calcium absorption. However, it is unknown whether the abnormal absorption is a result of depression or a side effect of the drugs used to treat it. This study will compare calcium absorption in women with depression and in healthy women without depression. Participants in this study will be given two non-radioactive calcium isotopes. One can be taken by mouth and the other must be injected. Participants will have the level of isotopes in their urine measured to estimate true fractional calcium absorption (TFCA). Participants may also have a dual X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan to measure total body adiposity and lean body mass.

Depression is highly prevalent among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Malawi and elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Besides its high prevalence, depression likely represents an important barrier to consistent HIV care engagement and long-term viral suppression. However, the potential for depression treatment to improve HIV care outcomes has received little attention in the region, in part because of limited mental health infrastructure. In this study, the investigators will evaluate the impact of a depression treatment program integrated within existing HIV clinics on depression response, retention in HIV care, and viral suppression. It is expected that this evaluation will yield important evidence on the impact of depression treatment integrated with HIV care for improving HIV care and mental health outcomes in Malawi.