Active clinical trials for "Depressive Disorder"

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) is a non invasive technique which was shown to be effective in the treatment of major depression. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is the anatomic target in rTMS studies and the standard (manual) '5-cm method' for positioning the coil over DLPFC is the reference. Nevertheless, it has been criticized due to poor targeting accuracies attributed to inter-subject variability. Such an inaccuracy could have any therapeutic consequences as a decrease in rTMS efficacy. Preliminary findings suggest that a more reproductible and accurate method, based upon a neuronavigation system could allow for a better efficacy. This finding has to be replicated with sound methodology. Investigator's objective is to compare efficacy on mood of coil positioning based upon a neuronavigation device versus coil positioning based upon the standard method.

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a serious, costly and highly prevalent condition. However, currently available treatment options have limited efficacy. The aim of this pilot study is to determine whether patients suffering from MDD who have not responded to at least one antidepressant trial may actively engage in a novel group therapy, Central Meditation and Imagery Therapy (CMIT). Preliminary results with individual patients suggest that CMIT techniques may have benefit for major depression. The purpose of this trial is to assess the feasibility of a group form of CMIT for the treatment of major depression. The trial will also seek to identify neurophysiological and cardiovascular predictors of treatment response. In this study, 10 subjects with major depressive disorder will receive antidepressant treatment augmentation with group meditation and mental imagery therapy for a total of 12 weeks, as well as daily meditation practice. Group sessions will also involve gentle yogic stretches. The subjects will be limited to those who remain depressed despite at least one trial of antidepressant medication. Changes in brain activity and heart rate variability will be measured at three time points utilizing electroencephalography (EEG) and pulse monitors. Depression symptoms will be measured at several time points using questionnaires and objective measures. Participation will require a total of 15 visits for weekly therapy and the measurements. Two-month follow-up questionnaires will be mailed to the subjects after study end to assess durability of any improvements in depressive symptoms.

This study will evaluate the efficacy of duloxetine in reducing depressive symptoms, abdominal pain, and other symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IRS) in a population of outpatients with Major Depressive Disorder MDD and clinical symptoms of IBS.

Perinatal depression is a major public health problem, affecting 15% of women during pregnancy through the postpartum period, with adverse consequences for the mother, the fetus, the infant, and the family. Despite increasing evidence of the importance of this critical risk interval, little research has investigated the effects of depression treatment during pregnancy on infant outcomes. The purpose of this study is to test the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of a new intervention, Interpersonal psychotherapy for the mother-infant dyad (IPT-Dyad). This intervention begins during pregnancy and continues with the mother and infant until one year postpartum. The investigators hypothesize that IPT-Dyad will be better than treatment as usual in reducing depressive symptoms, improving psychosocial functioning,increasing parenting self-efficacy, improving infant emotional development, and enhancing mother-infant relationship quality.

The overarching purpose of this pilot study is to collect preliminary data regarding the variability of weight gain associated with lurasidone (Latuda©) treatment of antipsychotic naive children and adolescents in order to inform decisions about including a lurasidone arm in a future large scale trial of different approaches to minimize antipsychotic associated weight gain in the pediatric population. In adults, lurasidone appears to cause minimal weight gain. The participants will be 6-19 years old with psychotic spectrum, mood spectrum, or autism spectrum disorders. They will have 4 weeks or less of lifetime antipsychotic exposure.

While CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy)has been found to be effective in treating depression in West, only limited amount of research has been conducted to find assess its effectiveness in low and middle income countries. We have developed culturally sensitive CBT during the last few years in Pakistan. Pakistan has high rates of depression. And there is currently a need to develop and test evidence based treatments which are culturally sensitive and cost effective. IN this project we will be assessing the effectiveness of a culturally sensitive CBT based self help intervention for depression in Pakistan against care as usual, using a randomized controlled design.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of vilazodone for the treatment of major depressive disorder versus citalopram. Doctors want to determine if vilazodone is effective for the treatment of major depressive disorder in those who have not responded to generic selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), which is a class of anti-depressant drugs such as Prozac, Lexapro, Paxil, or Zoloft. Both vilazodone and citalopram have been approved for the treatment of major depressive disorder. This research is being done because the researchers want to find out if vilazodone works in reducing the symptoms of depression significantly more than a generic SSRI.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a brief, efficient, and effective psychotherapy for individuals with depressive and anxiety disorders. However, CBT is largely underutilized within Veteran Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs) due to the cost and burden of trainings necessary to deliver the large number of CBT protocols. Transdiagnostic CBT, in contrast, is specifically designed to address numerous distinct disorders within a single protocol. This transdiagnostic approach has the potential to dramatically improve the accessibility of CBT within VAMCs and therefore improve clinical outcomes of Veterans. The proposed research seeks to evaluate the efficacy of a transdiagnostic CBT by assessing clinical outcomes and quality of life in VAMC patients with depressive and anxiety disorders throughout the course of treatment and in comparison to an existing evidence-based psychotherapy, behavioral activation treatment.

Major depressive disorders are real public health issues in terms of diagnosis and treatment. Some forms of depression are chronic and resistant to treatment (TRD). In these forms suicide risk is important. Patients with TRD are potential candidates for neurosurgical interventions to treat depression. However, psychosurgery interventions based upon lesions, showed their limitations related to 1. the large variability in neurosurgical gestures, 2. their side effects, and of course 3. the irreversible damage caused by the surgery. Thus, deep brain stimulation (DBS) could represent an opportunity for patients suffering from TRD. Our preliminary study based upon the stimulation of the accumbens nucleus showed encouraging results. The investigators have thus planned a randomized controlled trial versus sham stimulation to confirm the therapeutic value of nucleus accumbens DBS.

The proposed project will evaluate the role of neuroimaging biomarkers of brain aging (i.e., neurodegenerative and vascular brain changes) and mild cognitive impairment in the patterns of treatment response to memantine combined with escitalopram compared to escitalopram and placebo.