Characterization and Treatment of Adolescent Depression
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Summary
This research study seeks to find causes and treatments of depression in teenagers. The study goals are to increase our knowledge of treatments for depression and understand how the brain changes when teenagers have depression. The study will also compare teenagers with depression to those without mental health diagnoses. This outpatient study is recruiting participants ages 11-17 who are depressed. They must have a pediatrician or other medical provider, be medically healthy, and able to perform research tasks. They may not currently be hospitalized, psychotic or actively suicidal. Teenagers with depression are eligible even if they are taking medication. The study begins with an evaluation that includes clinical assessment, interviews, and questionnaires. * Visits may include paper-and-pencil and computer tests of mood, memory, and thinking; specialized computer games; and structural and brain imaging. If eligible, study participants may return several times a year for up to two years. This part of the study does not involve treatment. * Participants may be eligible for outpatient treatment for up to 25 weeks. This includes evidenced-based "talk" therapy. Participants may choose either Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Adolescents (IPT-A) or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). If indicated, participants may opt to receive standard medication treatments along with psychotherapy. Research includes computer tasks and brain imaging. All clinical evaluations, research tasks and visits are free of cost. Participants are compensated for research activities. Parents and teenager must agree to the teenager s participation in research. The study is conducted at the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland and enrolls participants from the Washington DC Metro region within 50 miles of NIH. Transportation expenses are reimbursed by NIMH.
Description
Objective Depression has a prevalence of 19% in the US population (Kessler \& Bromet, 2013) and close to 350 million people suffer from the disorder worldwide (WHO, 2012). The chronic course of depression and its early onset - a maximal incidence in adolescence and young adulthood (Beesdo et al., 2009) -contribute to it being a leading cause of disability worldwide (WHO, 2014). Yet, compared to many other medical conditions, we know little about the mechanisms underlying depression. In recent years, reward processing has been proposed to underlie several key behavioral and neural aberrations…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 11–25 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
* INCLUSION CRITERIA: * Youths who meet DSM 5 criteria for Major Depressive Disorder (Group 1) Inclusion criteria for Youth with MDD (all must be met): * Ages 11-17 at the time of enrollment in Characterization; * Current diagnosis of DSM-5 Major Depressive Disorder (within the last six months from assessment) which are: * Five or more of the following symptoms have been present during the same 2-week period and represent a change from previous functioning; at least one of the symptoms is either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure. * Depressed mood most of the day, near…
Interventions
- BehavioralGrowth Mindset
30 Minute interactive video
Location
- National Institutes of Health Clinical CenterBethesda, Maryland