Active clinical trials for "Depressive Disorder"

This research study will examine the effects of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique on academic physician burnout, depression, insomnia, perceived stress, and resilience through a mixed methods approach.

This study is aimed to help us learn about the effects of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation at the forehead versus the left side of the head for treatment of Treatment Resistant Depression.

As mental disorders constitute a core health care challenge of the 21th century, increased research efforts on preventive interventions are indispensable. In the field of clinical psychology, indicated preventive interventions targeted to those with initial symptomatology appear particularly promising. Applied relaxation (AR) is a well-established intervention technique proven to effectively reduce tension/distress, anxiety and depressive symptoms in the context of treatment of a wide variety of manifest mental disorders as well as somatic illnesses. However, it has not been studied so far whether AR as indicated preventive intervention in subjects with initial symptomatology but no full-threshold mental disorder yet is capable to prevent a further symptom escalation. This randomized controlled trial in subjects with elevated tension/distress, anxiety or depressive symptomatology aims to investigate whether an AR intervention (10 sessions à 60 min) can (a) effectively reduce present psychopathological symptoms as well as (b) prevent a further symptom progression to full-threshold DSM-5 mental disorders. Putative mediators (physiological, emotional, cognitive and behavioral changes including heart rate and heart rate variability, hair and salivary cortisol secretion, affectivity, self-efficacy, internal locus of control and cognitive / behavioral coping) and moderators (sex, age, symptom severity at baseline and homework adherence during the intervention course) of the intervention/preventive efficacy will be additionally studied. Predictor and outcome measures will be assessed both conventionally (via personal interview, questionnaires and physiological measures during the respective main assessment) and with ecological momentary assessments (EMA, applied via smart phone over a 1-week interval following the respective main assessment) in everyday life.

Major depressive episode (MDE) is one of the most prevalent and disabling form of mental illness in the general population. Despite increased mental health services and antidepressants use in the past 10 years, there has been no measurable change in the prevalence of MDE in the Canadian general population, which motivates the search for additional strategies for reducing the burden of MDE. One strategy that has been successful in the fields of oncology, cardiology and diabetes is early identification and prevention - identifying people who are at high risk and taking preventive actions to lower the risk so as to prevent symptoms from progressing into a MDE. As multivariable risk prediction algorithms are used to estimate an individual's risk (probability) of future disease, they can play an important role in the process of early identification. The proposed study stems from a project funded by an operating grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). With the CIHR support, the team developed and validated sex-specific prediction algorithms for MDE. As risk prediction is at very early stage in psychiatry and MDE is still highly stigmatized, to facilitate the future implementation of the developed risk prediction algorithms, the proposed study seeks to answer the following research questions: (1) Does disclosure of personalized depression risk information promote high-risk individuals to take preventive actions? (2) Will disclosure of personalized depression risk information negatively affect high-risk people's mental health status in terms of increased psychological distress? To answer the questions, the investigators planned to conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with an embedded qualitative component. The proposed study will develop an evidence base for guiding the disclosure of personalized risk information and understanding the process of risk communication and consumer empowerment, contributing to the advancement of early prevention of MDE in Canada.

The effectiveness of glabellar injection of botulinum toxin type A (BTA) in treating depression has not yet been investigated in elderly patients. The study aims in addressing the question if glabellar injection of BTA is effective in treating geriatric depression.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major public health problem with an annual incidence of about 1.7 million per year. TBI is associated with various long-term morbidities. Among them, psychiatric disturbances are the major cause of chronic disability and poor quality of life. Major depression is the common psychiatric sequela post TBI with rates ranging from 13% at 1 year to 60% at 8 years after TBI. Major depression after TBI (henceforth referred to as TBI depression) is often associated with comorbid neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) such as anxiety, aggression, substance abuse and cognitive deficits that often makes treatment difficult. Despite increased rates of depression, there is no Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drug/s for its treatment. The investigators propose to address these limitations by use of a novel serotonergic agent, vortioxetine, which has a multimodal mechanism of action through serotonin transporter (SERT) inhibition, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)3, 7, and 1D receptor antagonism, 1B receptor partial agonism, and 1A receptor agonism. Overarching Goal: The overarching goal of the proposed pilot study is to determine the effectiveness and safety of vortioxetine for the treatment of post-TBI depression and co-morbid NPS. Study Design: The study design will include a DBPCT of 30 TBI patients of all severities who meet the DSM 5 criteria for major depression. A total of 150 will be consented to allow for screen failures. Written informed consent will be obtained from these patients. Subjects will be followed for a total of 12 weeks. Subjects will be randomized to either the vortioxetine arm (N=15) or placebo arm (N=15). The treatment group will receive vortioxetine 10mg per day, which will be increased to 20 mg or decreased to 5 mg, if deemed clinically necessary, at week 4 or 8. Subjects will have a total of 4-5 visits: Baseline evaluation (1 or 2 visits) and follow-up visits at weeks 4, 8 and 12. Well-validated psychiatric instruments will be used to compare the effectiveness of vortioxetine versus placebo treatment at week 12 compared to baseline Relevance: This study has the potential to provide strong preliminary evidence for the use of vortioxetine as a safe and novel agent for treatment of TBI depression and its psychiatric co-morbidities. If found to be effective, results from this study can be used to design larger studies and also determine brain changes associated with its use via neuroimaging.

There is a pressing need for innovation in prevention of major depression in male workers. Major depression (MDE) affects workers' health and productivity. In the United States, workers with depression cost an estimated US $44.01 billion per year in lost productivity. One of the severe consequences of having MDE is potential suicide and Canadian national data showed that 76% of all suicides in 2009 were male. In the workplace, risk factors for having MDE differ for men and women. For instance, job strain, family to work conflict and job insecurity seem to be more prominent MDE risk factors in men than in women. Compounding men's risk, men are less likely than women to seek help and to disclose depressive symptoms and often delay help seeking until symptoms become severe. Men are socialized to be emotionally stoic and exemplify traditional masculine characteristics such as independence, self-reliance and dominance. Men are concerned over the perceived negative judgments from family and friends if they access treatment for depression. These gender specific experiences along with a limited knowledge base about effective interventions call for innovative solutions tailored for men. The proposed study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an e-mental health program on reducing the risk of major depression in Canadian working men.

The investigators propose a one-year, repeated measures, within-subject design to examine the impact of improved caregiver depression on child asthma outcomes. A cross-lagged panel modeling (CLPM) for longitudinal data will be fit using a maximum likelihood structural equation model (SEM) in order to explore longitudinal mediation between asthma outcomes (asthma control, spirometry, quality of life (QOL)) and depressive symptoms. CLPM will test whether caregiver improvement preceded child asthma improvement, and SEM will test whether improved adherence and/or decreased child anxiety/depression mediated the effect. The investigators considered a randomized control trial, but it would not be ethically acceptable to withhold medication from caregivers diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) for the proposed one-year duration of the study. It is unlikely that potential participants in the study would find this acceptable. Furthermore a controlled design is not necessary since the investigators are not testing the efficacy of antidepressants for depression, but rather the impact of improvement on caregiver depression on the child.

Depression is a serious mental health disease. It is generally characterized by sadness, loss of interest in activities, and decreased energy. Globally, it is estimated that almost 350 million people suffer from depression. In Saudi Arabia, literature suggested that prevalence of depression among boy's secondary school students in Abha city was 38.2%. Another study found that the prevalence of depression was 22.4 % as moderate, 7.3 % as severe and 3.7% as very severe, with a clear predominance prevalence of depression in girls as in boys (1.5 times). It is important to assess depression literacy including knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders among adolescent. A high level of mental health literacy on depression leads to a better understanding and outcomes of depressive disorders. Schools are a typical venue in which to embed mental health literacy because the school students are more familiar with educational activities. Studies concluded that educational intervention about depression literacy and destigmatization improves knowledge and may decrease stigma. Further research, intervention and activism are needed in the field of mental health in Arab countries to improve awareness of mental health problems. Objectives: This study is aimed to measure the effect of educational intervention program about depression among secondary schools in Jazan city on depression literacy and stigma during the academic year 2015-2016. The intervention: the intervention will held at each selected intervention school separately. The program will be over 2 weeks intervention as the following: Educational strategies: 2 Lecture about depression 30 minutes supported by group discussion, brochures and display of posters with mental-health slogans on depression in the schools. Contact strategies: the investigators will show a video of a young male who had been diagnosed (i.e., not an actor) with depression. Benefits: * The intervention group will join educational intervention program they expected to benefit from the program through increase their depression literacy and improve depression stigma, and control group will not join any form of intervention. Risk: There is no expected risk for participating in the study. Consent: Three Informed Consents forms will be signed from students, guardians and school manager.

The purpose of this 6- month study is to determine the feasibility of a start-up incubator intervention designed to decrease occupational stress and depression for beginning Kentucky farmers. The objectives are to: #1) test the feasibility of a mentorship and start-up incubator intervention on depression in beginning Kentucky farmers using questionnaires administered prestudy, mid-study, and post-study; #2) explore associations between mentorship, occupational stress and depression in beginning Kentucky farmers using specific survey questionnaires to guide future research. This study's results will provide valuable data to agriculture and occupational health researchers. The data will illustrate the impact of mentorship and community support on improving depression and occupational stress of beginning Kentucky farmers.