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- Subsequent Treatment Strategies for Persistent Depression Yield Modest Results
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September 1, 2006
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Science Update
Patients with treatment-resistant depression had a modest chance of becoming symptom-free when they tried different treatment strategies after two or three failed treatments, according to results from the nation's largest real-world study of depression.
- Experimental Medication Kicks Depression in Hours Instead of Weeks
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August 7, 2006
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Press Release
People with treatment—resistant depression experienced symptom relief in as little as two hours with a single intravenous dose of ketamine, a medication usually used in higher doses as an anesthetic in humans and animals, in a preliminary study.
- Switching to a Third Antidepressant Medication May Prove Helpful to Some with Treatment-Resistant Depression
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July 1, 2006
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Science Update
The next wave of results from the nation's largest real-world study of treatment-resistant depressionshows that patients had a moderate chance of becoming symptom-free when they switched
to a third antidepressant medication, following two previously unsuccessful medication attempts.
- Antipsychotic Prescriptions Rise Sharply for Children and Adolescents
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June 19, 2006
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Science Update
The number of antipsychotic medication prescriptions for children and adolescents increased six-fold from 1993 to 2002, according to a study of visits made by people 20 years old and younger to doctors' offices.
- Antidepressant Does Not Reduce Risk Of Relapse Among Patients With Anorexia Nervosa
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June 14, 2006
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Science Update
An NIMH-funded study has concluded that the antidepressant medication fluoxetine (Prozac) is no more effective than placebo in preventing relapse among patients with anorexia nervosa who had achieved a healthy weight during inpatient or day-program treatment.
- Depression Rates Are Lower in Children Whose Mothers Are Successfully Treated
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May 9, 2006
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Science Update
When women treated for depression become symptom-free, their children are less likely to be diagnosed with depression, according to a study published in the March 22/29 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
- Studies Offer New Information About Treatment Choices for Schizophrenia — Phase 2 Results
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April 1, 2006
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Science Update
A national clinical trial comparing clozapine with other new-generation antipsychotic medications for the treatment of chronic schizophrenia has shown that people who switched to clozapine from their first medication because it failed to manage symptoms adequately were twice as likely to continue treatment as patients who switched to other antipsychotic medications.
- New Strategies Help Depressed Patients Become Symptom-Free
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March 23, 2006
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Press Release
Results of the nation’s largest depression study show that one in three depressed patients who previously did not achieve remission using an antidepressant became symptom-free with the help of an additional medication and one in four achieved remission after switching to a different antidepressant.
- Maintenance Treatment Prevents Recurrence in Older Adults with Single-Episode Depression
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March 16, 2006
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Press Release
People age 70 and older who continued taking the antidepressant that helped them to initially recover from their first episode of depression were 60 percent less likely to experience a new episode of depression over a two-year study period than those who stopped taking the medication, according to a study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health.
- Gene Influences Antidepressant Response
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March 15, 2006
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Press Release
Whether depressed patients will respond to an antidepressant depends, in part, on which version of a gene they inherit, a study led by scientists at NIH has discovered. Having two copies of one version of a gene that codes for a component of the brain’s mood―regulating system increased the odds of a favorable response to an antidepressant by up to 18 percent, compared to having two copies of the other, more common version.
