Early Detection and Prevention of Mood Disorders in Children of Parents With Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar DisorderDepressionThis study will develop strategies for early detection and prevention of mood disorders and associated impairment in adolescent children of parents with bipolar disorder.
Outpatient Nurse Monitoring Under the Prevention of Recurrent Suicidal
Mood DisorderReactive DepressionTo evaluate the impact of a specific nursing management (personalized and close, through consultation at the hospital, at home or by phone) monitoring in post-hospitalization, the suicide attempt of recurrence and suicidal crisis, in the year following a suicide attempt in patients suffering from a mood disorder (unipolar or bipolar) or reactive depression.
Investigation of Seasonal Variations of Brain Structure and Connectivity in SAD
Seasonal Affective DisorderMajor Depressive Disorder1 moreSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a subtype of Major Depressive Disorder, characterized by a recurrent temporal relationship between the season of year, the onset and the remission of a major depressive episode. Estimates of the annual prevalence state that 1-6% of the population will develop SAD with the larger prevalences found at greater extremes in latitude. SAD is most likely triggered by the shortening photoperiod experienced in the winter months leading to a deterioration of mood. Recent cross-sectional neuroimaging studies have found cellular and neurotransmitter changes in response to seasonality, ultimately having an impact on the affect of patients. Conversly, this study aims to investigate the changes in neurocircuitry related to depression and euthymic states. Patients with SAD offer a unique ability to study these changes since they have predictable triggers for the onset of depression (i.e. the winter months) and remission (i.e. the summer months).
The Roshni Project - Developing a Psychosocial Intervention
Mood DisordersThe mental health sector is being called upon to develop and implement interventions for youth that attend to gender, age and cultural diversity (Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2016). The proposed project outlines the development and feasibility testing of a culturally driven transdiagnostic psychosocial intervention for South Asian women aged 16-24 years. We will recruit 30 participants to complete the 12 week psychosocial intervention. Pre, midpoint and post evaluations will be completed to asses change in mental health, self esteem and values, and also qualitative feedback on participant experiences of the intervention.
Intensive Stress Coping Intervention Week - A Secondary Prevention For Real World Affective Disorder...
Affective DisordersPsychological Stress5 moreThis study intents to determine who will benefit from an intensive brief stress coping intervention week (ISCIW) as secondary prevention for real world affective disorder patients.
DIMES - DIgital MEdicine Study for Adults With Schizophrenia, Bipolar I Disorder, or Major Depression...
SchizophreniaMajor Depressive Disorder2 moreThis is a 12 month, pragmatic trial designed to assess the differences in a digital medicine system (DMS)- ABILIFY MYCITE (Aripiprazole tablets with sensor)- measuring adherence versus treatment as usual (TAU) for adult patients with schizophrenia, bipolar I disorder, and major depression. Outcomes of interest will be adherence as measured by refill rates and all-cause and psychiatric health care use. Each patient will be in the study for a duration of 12 months. All treatment medication decisions will be made by the healthcare professionals (HCPs) and not by protocol. Psychiatrist(s), nurse(s) and/or team manager(s) who will be responsible for subjects' care, will be considered as HCPs in this trial.
Performances of a Brief Assessment Tool for the Early Diagnosis of Geriatric Syndromes by Primary...
Cognitive ImpairmentMood Disorders5 moreThe AGE (Active Geriatric Evaluation) aims to develop a brief assessment tool adapted to the primary care setting.
Mitochondrial Dysfunction in the Pathophysiology and Treatment of Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar Affective DisorderDepressionThis study will examine whether mitochondrial function is impaired in patients with bipolar disorder. Mitrochondria are small organelles inside the cell that are responsible for energy production. Recent studies in animals and humans suggest that abnormalities of mitrochondria may be involved in bipolar depression. The study will also examine whether the food supplement Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) improves mitochondrial function and symptoms such as depressed mood, low energy, anxiety or slowness in thinking and movements in bipolar patients. CoQ10 has been used to increase cell energy production and as an antioxidant. It has had some benefit in patients with Parkinson's disease and migraine and in prolonging survival in patients with cancer and heart failure. Patients 18-65 years of age with bipolar disorder who are currently in a depressive episode of at least 4 weeks duration may be eligible for this study. The study has four phases, as follows: Phase I: Medication Withdrawal Patients taper off all psychotropic medications, usually over 1 to 2 weeks. Phase II: Baseline Evaluation After being off all medication for about 2 weeks, patients undergo the following procedures: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). The two procedures are performed in an MRI scanner. Both tests use a strong magnetic field and radio waves to obtain images that provide information on brain anatomy and chemistry. Blood tests to assess mitochondrial function isolated from blood cells. Skin biopsy for tests of mitochondria. A small sample of skin tissue 5 x 5 millimeters is surgically removed. Phase III: Administration of CoQ10 or Placebo Participants are randomly assigned to take either CoQ10 or placebo (an inactive look-alike substance) twice a day by mouth. While taking the study medication, patients have the following procedures periodically: Rating scales for anxiety and depression and adverse events. Check of vital signs. Blood and urine sample collections. Phase IV: Study Completion At the end of the 8 weeks of treatment, patients have a physical examination and electrocardiogram, and the procedures in phase II are repeated. Participants may then receive short-term treatment (up to 12 weeks) with medications for bipolar depression, followed by referred to a community physician for long-term treatment. ...
Feasibility and Acceptability of a Smartphone App to Assess Early Warning Signs of Psychosis Relapse...
Schizophrenia RelapseSchizophrenia3 moreAbout 1 in 100 people will experience an episode of psychosis. Some people will only experience one 'psychotic episode' and about a quarter of people make a full recovery. Others will have recurring periods of problems ('relapses'), perhaps at times of particular stress. As people often find psychosis distressing, this study looks at ways to help them stay well in the future. There is growing evidence that 'early signs' interventions can prevent relapses of psychosis. Early signs are things that might happen when people start to become unwell. For example some people start to sleep badly when they are becoming unwell. Most people with psychosis can identify early signs emerging in the weeks before relapse. In early signs interventions, service users are taught to recognise early signs that their mental health may be deteriorating so that they can take action to avoid becoming unwell. Although early signs interventions show promise, the investigators suggest that they can be improved by more accurate assessment of relapse risk. This might be achieved by monitoring 'basic symptoms' in addition to conventional early signs of relapse. Basic symptoms are subtle, subclinical disturbances in one's experience of oneself and the world. Typical basic symptoms include: changes in perceptions, such as increased vividness of colour vision; impaired tolerance to certain stressors; difficulty finding or understanding common words. In this study the investigators want to design and test a mobile phone app to help monitor basic symptoms. They hope that the app might help service users to stay well in the future. During the study the investigators will ask participants to use the app once a week for 6 months. At the end of the study they will interview them about their experiences of using the phone app and participating in the study.
"Art Therapy" in Acute Psychiatry
SchizophreniaMood Disorders2 moreBackground: Given the complexity of this problem, psychiatric in-patients in the acute stage of their disease need different types of therapeutic programs to recover they mental health state. Usually they're submitted to systematic biological programs (namely psychopharmaceuticals), often considered a priority when compared to psychosocial programs. Among the different therapies that have been introduced in this context "art therapy", also named creative therapy, can constitute a treatment that complements the allopathic treatments, providing improvements in self-esteem and self-efficiency, distraction and relief from concerns and negative thoughts. Scientific evidence on the effects of psychosocial programs in the context of hospitalization of acute cases is scarce. Aims: a) evaluate the effectiveness of a 3 session program of "art therapy" in changing emotional indicators, namely depression, anxiety, stress, and psychological well-being, in individuals with mental illness; b) analyze the meanings a person attributes to his creative self-expression. Method: This is a pre-experimental, prospective study, with a pre test-post test design without control group, with a mixed approach (quantitative and qualitative). The study was performed in the psychiatry unit (Psiquiatria B), in the Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra - Portugal. The target population was composed by men (older than 18), hospitalized in this ward. The exclusion criteria were: individuals with active psychotic symptomology, in manic phase and/or refusing to participate. The instruments used to collect information were: Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale [DASS-21]; Ryff Scales of Psychological Well-Being (SPWB - 18 item version) and a semi-structured interview. Data collection and the development of this study occurred in the following manner: Initial evaluation to verify the sample selection criteria in the first 48 hours after patient hospitalization; Obtain informed consent for the application of instruments and participation in the "art therapy" intervention program; Application of instruments (DASS-21 and SPWB-18 item version) before intervention; Development of the program applied as a group, during three weeks, one session a week, each lasting approximately 90 minutes and assisted by a specialist in plastic expression. Each session was held in an occupational therapy room, including all the material deemed necessary for the execution of some of the techniques introduced by the technician. After each session, a semi-structured interview was conducted with each participant in order to analyze the meanings attributed. In the end of the program, the same instruments were reapplied.