Latest research for Depression Awareness Month

More than 300 million people live with depression worldwide, according to WHO.

Additionally, the organization reports that depression is the leading cause of disability globally and contributes significantly to the overall global burden of disease. Though depression can be effectively treated, fewer than 50% of those affected receive successful care due to lack of resources, inaccurate assessment, lack of trained health care providers and social stigma related to mental disorders.

To highlight Depression Awareness Month this October, Healio.com/Psychiatry has compiled a list of stories featuring the latest research for psychiatrists in ketamine, pediatric depression, pregnancy- and menopause-related depression, and more.

Add-on oral ketamine shows promise in treatment-resistant depression

Repeated oral ketamine produced rapid and persistent improvement of depressive symptoms in a small sample of outpatients with treatment-resistant depression who continued their usual treatment, according to a proof-of-concept study. Read more.

Janssen seeks FDA approval for esketamine nasal spray

Janssen has submitted a New Drug Application to the FDA for esketamine nasal spray for treatment-resistant depression in adults, according to a press release. Read more.

Guidelines advise antidepressants, psychotherapy for perimenopausal depression

An expert panel offered the first-ever clinical recommendations to health care professionals on how to identify, characterize and treat depression during the menopause transition in guidelines published simultaneously in Journal of Women’s Health and Menopause. Read more.

Link found between gestational diabetes, postpartum depression risk

Women with gestational diabetes may be at elevated risk for postpartum depression symptoms, according to findings published in Journal of Affective Disorders. Read more.

Arthritis highly prevalent in older adults with depression

A study published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry reported that arthritis was highly prevalent among older adults with varying degrees of depression. Read more.

Ketamine’s antidepressant effect may require opioid system activation

Findings from a double-blind crossover study indicated that ketamine’s acute antidepressant effect involves the activation of the brain’s opioid system. Read more.

Depression screening rates low in US

Although the national screening rate for depression rose significantly after 2009, screening remains low among adults without a depression diagnosis in the United States. Read more.

Major depression worsens with age

Older age was associated with poorer major depressive disorder course, according to 2-year follow-up data published in The Lancet Psychiatry. Read more.

Teens with depression may benefit from collaborative care treatment

Using substance abuse and anxiety assessments at the enrollment of collaborative care treatment for depression can help identify teenagers with depression at risk for treatment failure, findings published in Journal of Clinical Psychiatry suggest. Read more.

ALKS 5461 well-tolerated in major depression

ALKS 5461, an investigational opioid system modulator that combines buprenorphine and samidorphan, showed antidepressant effects for up to 52 weeks of treatment in patients with major depressive disorder. Read more.