Active clinical trials for "Depressive Disorder"

The investigators are conducting this study to learn more about the cognitive and attentional processes among individuals with three types of repetitive negative thinking (RNT): mental rituals (as seen in obsessive compulsive disorder, OCD), worries (as seen in generalized anxiety disorder, GAD), and ruminations (as seen in major depressive disorder, MDD). Specifically, the investigators are studying whether psychological treatment can help people with RNT who have trouble stopping unwanted thoughts and shifting their attention.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) and obesity are major contributors to impaired health worldwide. Statins are among the most prescribed medications with well-established safety and efficacy. Statins are recommended in primary prevention of cardiovascular disease, which has been linked to both MDD and obesity. Moreover, statins are promising candidates to treat MDD because a meta-analysis of pilot randomized controlled trials has found antidepressive effects of statins as adjunct therapy to antidepressants. However, no study so far has tested the antidepressive potential of statins in patients with MDD and comorbid obesity. Therefore, we hypothesize that Simvastatin add-on to standard antidepressant Escitalopram will improve depression to a greater extent than add-on placebo in patients with comorbid obesity and major depression. We will randomize 160 obese MDD patients at 8 recruiting centers to either Simvastatin or placebo as add-on to Escitalopram for 12 weeks. If successful, our trial would have immediate impact on clinical practice given the fact that Simvastatin and Escitalopram are available as inexpensive generic drugs with established safety.

The MOOD study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of a noninvasive, self-administered external Combined Occipital and Trigeminal Neurostimulation (eCOT-NS) treatment for Major Depressive Disorder (Relivion®DP). This is a prospective, multi-center, 2-arm randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, sham-controlled study. The study will include the following stages: Screening, Eligibility evaluation and Randomization to Relivion®DP vs. Sham control (1:1 randomization) (Baseline - Day 0). Daily treatment period: Active/Sham (Group A/B) treatment protocol (Baseline to end of 8 weeks). Open label phase: Active treatment period of additional 8 weeks. After completion of the open label period the subject's participation in the study will be over.

This is a clinical trial evaluating the experimental intervention of enhanced pharmacist care by pharmacists with additional prescribing authorization (APA) in Alberta, for patients newly diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).

Late-Life Depression (LLD), or depression in older adults, often presents with motivational deficits, deficits in performance in cognitive domains including processing speed and executive dysfunction, and mobility impairments. This triad of findings implicate dopaminergic dysfunction as a core pathophysiologic feature in depression, and may contribute to cognitive decline and motor disability. Normal aging results in brain-wide dopamine declines, decreased D1/D2 receptor density, and loss of dopamine transporters. Although brain changes associated with depression and aging converge on dopamine circuits, the specific disturbances in LLD and how responsive the system is to modulation remain unclear. In this study, investigators are testing integrative model that aging, in concert with pro-inflammatory shifts, decreases dopamine signaling. These signally changes affects behaviors supported by these circuits, in the context of age-associated cortical atrophy and ischemic microvascular changes, resulting in variable LLD phenotypes. Investigators propose a primary pathway where dopaminergic dysfunction in depressed elders contributes to slowed processing speed and mobility impairments that increase the effort cost associated with voluntary behavior. The central hypothesis of this study is that late-life depression is characterized by dysfunction in the dopamine system and, by enhancing dopamine functioning in the brain. By improving cognitive and motor slowing, administration of carbidopa/levodopa (L-DOPA) will improve depressive symptoms.

The primary aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of whole-body hyperthermia in addition to standard medical care in comparison to standard medical care alone on depressive symptom severity in patients with moderate to severe depressive disorder. Secondary aims included further quality of life outcomes, immunological parameters, and tolerability/safety of the hyperthermia.

The investigators are conducting a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the antidepressant effects of nitrous oxide in people with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). MDD is a global medical condition that causes significant health and economic burden. Recent studies have shown that a single dose of ketamine, an NMDA-antagonist, has fast and long lasting anti-depressant effect. Nitrous oxide, another NMDA-antagonist, is widely used for anesthesia and analgesia, safer to administer and has fewer side effects than ketamine. A randomized controlled crossover feasibility study showed significant reduction in depressive symptoms at 2 and 24 hours after a single 1-hour treatment session of inhaled nitrous oxide compared with placebo. Nitrous oxide is inexpensive and can be safely administered by any trained clinician. If found to be efficacious, it could be used to provide rapid anti-depressant effect whilst the benefit of traditional anti-depressants has its delayed effect. Another potential application could be in acutely suicidal patients. This investigated-initiated phase 2b trial will enable confirmation and extension of the findings from the feasibility study, and identify the optimal dose and regimen in a broader population of those with MDD. Participants will be randomized to receive a weekly 1-hour inhalational sessions of either nitrous oxide or placebo (oxygen-air mixture) for 4 weeks, and the nitrous group will be further randomly assigned to a dose of 50% nitrous oxide or 25% nitrous oxide. Depression severity will be assessed by a blinded observer pre-treatment and at weekly intervals during and for 4 weeks after treatment using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.

Completing evidence-based treatments for depression has been shown to be particularly problematic for Black adolescents. If Black adolescents' depression treatment needs are to be met, the engagement challenges and the factors that lessen the success of treatment in the "real world" must be addressed. The investigators will examine the effectiveness of the Making Connections Intervention (MCI) and investigate key mediators of both engagement and response to treatment for depression. The MCI is a 1-2 session, evidence-based intervention designed to improve engagement, perceived relevance, and treatment satisfaction among depressed, Black adolescents. The study also uses tailored outreach strategies for adolescents and parents by including innovative digital content such as a web page/app along with other digital products. This study will address an important public health issue: How best to connect Black adolescents with depression to treatment in clinically meaningful ways, and how best to deliver evidence-based treatment to them through school-based services.

This is a double-blind, multi-site, randomized controlled trial (RCT) that will recruit 200 participants.The purpose of the RCT will be to evaluate the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in combination with mindfulness meditation compared to sham tDCS to maintain wellness following an acute course of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for up to 6 months.

The main aims of the study are to (1) compare the effectiveness of Group metacognitive therapy (GMCT) treatment to that of clinical management and (2) explore patterns of change and investigate factors associated with treatment outcome