
Ketamine as an Alternative Treatment to ECT in Major Depressive Disorder
Depressive DisorderMajorDeveloping more effective and faster acting antidepressant is of outmost clinical importance. Available antidepressant therapies have a delayed therapeutic effect. It typically takes several weeks before symptom relief is evident. Furthermore, antidepressants are relatively ineffective - as many as 30% of patients do not respond to any medication at all. In this study the investigators evaluate the NMDA-receptor antagonist ketamine as a potentially new antidepressant treatment for severely depressed patients and compare its effectiveness with that of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

Levomilnacipran ER vs. Adjunctive Quetiapine for Adults With Inadequate Relief With SSRIs in MDD...
Major Depressive DisorderThis study's primary objective is to compare the efficacy and tolerability of switching patients with inadequate relief on generic SSRIs to levomilnacipran versus adding a new treatment (quetiapine) to the participants' existing treatment with people diagnosed with depression (major depression disorder). The secondary objective is to examine the response and remission rates following the switch from a generic SSRI to levomilnacipran ER and augmentation with quetiapine along with examining changes in neurocognitive and apathy measures after the switch.

Effects of Amygdala Neurofeedback on Depressive Symptoms
Major Depressive DisorderThe purpose of this study is to determine the clinical efficacy of augmenting cognitive-behavioral therapy with real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging neurofeedback (rtfMRI-nf) training to increase the amygdala's response to positive autobiographical memories.

A Study to Evaluate Pharmacokinetics, Safety and Tolerability of Extended-release Bupropion Hydrochloride...
Depressive DisorderMajorBupropion is used in psychological disorder mainly in major depressive disorder (MDD). In China, buproprion Immediate Release (IR) and Sustained Release (SR) tablet have been in market for the treatment of MDD. Bupropion Hydrochloride (HCl) Extended Release (XL) tablets formulation is proposed for marketing approval in China for same indication. Therefore, a pharmacokinetic study is planned to be conducted in Chinese subjects. It is an open label, single-centre and single cycle study to evaluate the pharmacokinetics, safety and tolerability of 150 milligram (mg) and 300 mg following single and repeated daily doses. Approximately 16 males and females Chinese healthy subjects will be enrolled into the study to get 12 completed subjects.

Computer-assisted Cognitive-Behavior Therapy for Depression in Primary Care
DepressionComputer-assisted cognitive-behavior therapy, a treatment that has been shown to be effective in previous studies in psychiatric settings, will be disseminated into primary care - a health care setting where there are significant problems in receiving adequate treatment for depression. Computer-assisted cognitive-behavior therapy will feature a low-cost method of delivering therapy designed to be replicated and sustained in other primary care settings. Feasibility and effectiveness will be tested by randomly assigning 320 primary care patients with depression to receive either computer-assisted cognitive-behavior therapy or treatment as usual.

Ketamine Anesthesia for Improvement of Depression in ECT
Major Depressive DisorderThe purpose of this prospective randomized clinical trial is to determine if patients receiving ketamine as a part of general anesthesia during electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) rather than standard of care will have improvement in symptoms of depression after a course of ECT treatments. The investigators hypothesize that utilization of ketamine for induction of general anesthesia during ECT treatments will improve symptoms of depression better than standard care. This study is ONLY open to patients eligible to receive healthcare services through the Department of Veterans Affairs at the VA Puget Sound, which means service in the active military, naval or air service or separation under any condition other than dishonorable. Qualifications for VA health care benefits can be found at va.gov.

Treating Major Depressive Disorder With Music and Low-frequency Rhythmic Sensory Stimulation
Major Depressive DisorderMajor depressive disorder (MDD) is a highly prevalent and disabling disorder associated with persistent low mood, loss of the capacity to experience pleasure (i.e. anhedonia), reduced social functioning, and impaired quality of life. MDD is estimated to affect approximately 2% of Canadian women and 1% of Canadian men at any point in time. The World Health Organization affirms that depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, with increasing global economic impact. Standard treatments for depression include basic psychosocial support combined with antidepressant medication or psychotherapy. It has been observed, however, that only 50% of individuals respond to psychological treatment, and only 30-40% of patients achieve full remission after initial treatment with antidepressants. Music- and sound-related therapies have the potential to serve as adjuncts to, or facilitators of, medication. In this study we will examine the effectiveness of a new therapeutic tool, known as Rhythmic Sensory Stimulation, as an adjunctive treatment for Major Depressive Disorder. Rhythmic Sensory Stimulation is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that uses periodic pulses of light, sound, or tactile stimulus, to induce changes in the patterns of brain activity. Participants in this study will undertake 30 minutes of daily music intervention self-administered at home, for 5 days per week, for a total of 5 weeks. We will assess depression symptoms, sleep quality, quality of life, and brain activity pre- and post-treatment. The results of the present study will help to better understand the effectiveness of Rhythmic Sensory Stimulation to the treatment of mood disorders, and contribute to the development of future studies to investigate the neural driving effects of therapies based on Rhythmic Sensory Stimulation.

Electronic Self-monitoring on Regulation of the Sleep-wake Cycle to Reduce Relapse of Depression...
DepressionVery little is known of depressed patients' mental state after being discharged from inpatient wards where they are provided with a sheltered environment with stable sleep wake cycle, regular meals, and regular physical and social activities. Our previous usability study, SAFE I, showed that electronic self-monitoring was a useful tool to gain insight into patients' condition in the weeks after discharge. Results showed that patients over a four week period had significant day to day variations in self-rated mood and sleeping schedule and that the patients' sleep patterns were delayed with 45 minutes. In the actual study, SAFE II, we are investigating whether an intervention with a strong focus on the circadian timing of daytime activities, and sleep, coined Circadian Reinforcement Therapy (CRT), can lead to a faster recovery of depression and prevent relapse into depression after discharge.

Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor Response to Aerobic Exercise Intensity in Depressive Patients....
Depressive DisorderDepressive Disorder1 moreAcute aerobic exercise improves affective stats in patients with mental illnesses. Brain derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) may be a biological mechanism that contributes to the affective benefits. The magnitude of the increase of serum BDNF might be exercise intensity dependent, but no study has compared low high-aerobic-intensity training at 90-95 % of the maximal heart rate (HRmax) with long-slow-distance training at 70 % of the HRmax in patients with depression. The aim of this study is to compare changes in serum BDNF levels after high-aerobic-intensity training and long-slow-distance training in a intra-individual design in patients suffering from depression. The results will give indications of a possible difference in BDNF response between aerobic intensities and may be uses as pilot data for calculating sample size.

Blended Depression Therapy: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Face-to-face and Via Internet
Major Depressive DisordersTo asses the clinical effectiveness of blended cognitive behavior therapy (CBT): face-to-face and internet-based treatment for adults with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in primary care compared to treatment as usual.