Active clinical trials for "Depressive Disorder"

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness and possible mediating factors of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for recurrent depression.

Preliminary studies suggest that the response to antidepressant medication can be accelerated by targeting insomnia with adjunctive use of eszopiclone. It is not yet known what mechanism(s) support this acceleration in response, though preliminary findings support the hypothesis that early restoration of sleep may facilitate BDNF-based effects of antidepressant medications. The optimal duration of co-treatment is also unknown. This study will test specific hypotheses about brain mechanisms and evaluate the effects of continued eszopiclone beyond the time window when response acceleration should be observed.

The primary objective of this pilot project is to evaluate the efficacy of Cymbalta for bereavement-associated depression. Participating patients will be treated with Cymbalta in doses up to 60mg daily for eight (8) weeks. The primary outcome measure for this study will be the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD-17). In pursuit of this objective, we will test the following hypothesis: After eight weeks of open-label treatment with Cymbalta for bereavement-associated depression, at least half of the participants will achieve remission, as measured by a score of 7 or less on the HRSD-17. Secondary objectives of this project are: To determine the tolerability of Cymbalta treatment among patients with bereavement-associated depression (as measured by adverse events and the proportion of participants who discontinue Cymbalta before completing eight weeks of study treatment); To determine the effect of Cymbalta treatment on grief in patients with bereavement-associated depression (as measured by the Texas Revised Inventory of Grief and the Inventory of Complicated Grief after eight weeks of treatment compared to baseline); and To determine the effect of Cymbalta treatment on health status, pain, and other co-morbid symptoms in patients with bereavement-associated depression (as measured by the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System and the Medical Outcomes Study 12-item Short Form Health Survey administered at Weeks 2, 4, and 8 and compared to baseline).

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)is a non invasive technique which uses a very weak current to change excitability in targeted regions of the brain. Early studies suggest that it has antidepressant properties. This study will test the safety and efficacy of tDCS as a treatment for depression.

We hypothesize that depressed patients who have not responded to their current antidepressant medication will respond to the addition of ropinirole to their current regimen at a rate better than placebo.

We will evaluate the effect of a short-term aerobic exercise program as an adjuvant treatment in patients with depression undergoing standard clinical antidepressant medication therapy as compared to the effect of stretching exercise. In addition, the effect of exercise on plasma biological markers will be examined and observed changes correlated with clinical antidepressant effects. We hypothesize that the aerobic exercise group will achieve a significantly higher response rates of depressive symptoms, will also have a greater degree of change in the plasma markers, than the control stretching group.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are effective as a monotherapy for depression.

The purpose of this research study is to assess the feasibility of a combined primary care/web-based depression prevention intervention. Primary care physicians (PCP) currently lack an alternative behaviorally-based approach to antidepressant medications for individuals with depression symptoms or minor depression, but who have not yet developed Major Depression. The objective of this study is to compare the feasibility and efficacy of motivational interviewing (MI) versus brief advice in primary care to engage adolescents with a web-based depression prevention intervention.

The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the clinical curative effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy(MBCT) for major depressive disorder(MDD). Moreover, we will also explore the relationship between P300 potential and erroneous negative potential (ERN) variation and clinical symptoms in MDD and MBCT. This study is a randomized-control trial with two study arms: half of patient cases will receive usual medication treatment with the serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and half of patient cases will receive MBCT added to the usual medication treatment. This study is also a case-control trial, there will be matched normal controls compared with patient cases through a range of psychological scales and electroencephalogram.

This study is a randomized double blind placebo controlled EEG monitored study of deep rTMS treatment to treat adolescent depression. The present study is the first well controlled study to examine the possible clinical utility of deep TMS to treat a severe and life threatening disorder- depression, among adolescents. Patients will be allocated, based on chance, to receive active therapy or a "as if" stimulation, with no knowledge of patient or therapist who receives the active therapy. In addition, a simple and feasible monitoring of brain waves (EEG) will be conducted. This addition will enable us to evaluate the possibility to use biological markers to predict the course of therapy. Our hypothesis is that 1. patients receiving the active therapy will improve significantly more than those who received the "as if" treatment. 2. There will be no significant side effects. 3. The brain waves (as measured by the EEG) will predict treatment response.