Major Depressive Disorder News and Research

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Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a psychiatric condition characterized by depressed mood or anhedonia (significant loss of interest or pleasure). The condition affects more than 15.7 million adults and approximately 3 million adolescents (aged 13 to 17 years) in the USA each year.

Changing placebo response dilutes antipsychotic trial power

Factors including patients’ expectations may underlie an increased placebo response in antipsychotic randomised controlled trials published since 1960, say researchers.

22 Oct 2014

Study reveals that people with stress-related inflammation may suffer from depression

Preexisting differences in the sensitivity of a key part of each individual's immune system to stress confer a greater risk of developing stress-related depression or anxiety, according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published October 20 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

21 Oct 2014

Fatty fish intake appears to increase antidepressant response rates

Up to half of patients who suffer from depression (Major Depressive Disorder, or MDD) do not respond to treatment with SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors). Now a group of Dutch researchers have carried out a study which shows that increasing fatty fish intake appears to increase the response rate in patients who do not respond to antidepressants.

21 Oct 2014

New drug naming system to be presented at ECNP conference in Berlin

What's in a name? Doctors have found that the name of the drug you are prescribed significantly influences how the patient sees the treatment.

20 Oct 2014

NeuroSigma, VA partner to evaluate eTNS system for TBI patients in Phase I clinical trial

NeuroSigma, Inc., a California-based life sciences company focused on commercialization of its non-invasive Monarch eTNS System for the treatment of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, today announced that it has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Veterans Affairs for a clinical trial to evaluate the benefits of non-invasive, external Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation (eTNS) for patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a Phase I clinical trial.

15 Oct 2014

Scientists develop first blood test to diagnose major adult depression

The first blood test to diagnose major depression in adults has been developed by Northwestern Medicine- scientists, a breakthrough approach that provides the first objective, scientific diagnosis for depression.

18 Sep 2014

Cyclothymic temperament linked to suicidality

The presence of a cyclothymic temperament in inpatients with bipolar disorder may indicate a high likelihood of hopelessness and suicidality, report researchers.

17 Sep 2014

FDA approves Contrave extended-release tablets for chronic weight management

Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. and Orexigen® Therapeutics, Inc. jointly announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Contrave® extended-release tablets as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for chronic weight management in adults with an initial body mass index of 30 kg/m2 or greater (obese), or 27 kg/m2 or greater (overweight) in the presence of at least one weight-related comorbid condition.

11 Sep 2014

Current issue provides critical review of data concerned with antidepressant drugs

A paper in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics by Giovanni Fava, MD (University of Bologna) provides a critical review of the data concerned with antidepressant drugs.

4 Sep 2014

Cancer patients require better treatment for depression

Findings from three research studies have shown that around three quarters of cancer patients who suffer from major depression do not receive treatment for their depression and that a newly developed medical programme has proven more effective than standard care at reducing depression in these patients.

28 Aug 2014

Cognitive therapy combined with antidepressant drug effective for severe nonchronic depression

The odds that a person who suffers from severe, nonchronic depression will recover are improved by as much as 30 percent if they are treated with a combination of cognitive therapy and antidepressant medicine rather than by antidepressants alone.

21 Aug 2014

Bipolar II disorder course mapped in Japanese patients

The course of bipolar II disorder can follow several distinct trajectories, with a major depressive episode being the most common presenting feature, a study of Japanese patients suggests.

14 Aug 2014

Neuralstem doses final patient with NSI-566 stem cells in Phase II trial

Neuralstem, Inc. announced that the final patient was treated in its Phase II trial using NSI-566 spinal cord-derived neural stem cells in the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease).

4 Aug 2014

Brain stimulation effective for treating depression

Brain stimulation treatments, like electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), are often effective for the treatment of depression. Like antidepressant medications, however, they typically have a delayed onset.

22 Jul 2014

Self-serving bias impaired in individuals suffering from MDD

Neuropsychological impairment has long been established as a fundamental characteristic of depression, but a specific pattern of impairment that is widely recognized has not been summarized.

17 Jul 2014

NIH funds Phase II 90-subject pediatric clinical trial at UCLA

NeuroSigma, Inc., a California-based life sciences company focused on commercialization of its non-invasive Monarch eTNS System for the treatment of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, today announced that the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded UCLA a grant that funds a Phase II 90-subject pediatric clinical trial at the University of California, Los Angeles focused on the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with NeuroSigma's external trigeminal nerve stimulation (eTNS) System.

10 Jul 2014

Patients in new DSM-5 bipolar category ‘deserve attention’

People who fall into the DSM-5 Other Specified Bipolar and Related Disorders category carry a significant clinical burden, a study shows.

19 Jun 2014

Breckenridge announces launch of Duloxetine Delayed-release Capsules

Breckenridge Pharmaceutical, Inc. announced today the immediate launch of Duloxetine Delayed-release Capsules.

12 Jun 2014

New guidelines aim to improve delivery of prostate cancer survivorship care

New American Cancer Society Prostate Cancer Survivorship Care guidelines released today outline posttreatment clinical follow-up care for the myriad of long-term and late effects an estimated 2.8 million prostate cancer survivors in the United States may face.

11 Jun 2014

Alkermes initiates FORWARD-3 and FORWARD-4 efficacy studies in pivotal clinical program for ALKS 5461

Alkermes plc today announced the initiation of FORWARD-3 and FORWARD-4, two of the three planned phase 3 core efficacy studies in the pivotal clinical program for ALKS 5461, a once-daily, oral investigational medicine with a novel mechanism of action for the adjunctive treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD).

10 Jun 2014