Delivery of infrared light to the head for Depression
This study is evaluating whether infrared light may help treat depression in pregnant women.
See full descriptionAbout the trial for Depression
Treatment Groups
This trial involves 4 different treatments. Delivery Of Infrared Light To The Head is the primary treatment being studied. Participants will be divided into 2 treatment groups. Some patients will receive a placebo treatment. The treatments being tested are not being studied for commercial purposes.
Eligibility
This trial is for female patients between 18 and 65 years old. There is one eligibility criterion to participate in this trial as listed below.
Approximate Timelines
Measurement Requirements
This trial is evaluating whether Delivery of infrared light to the head will improve 1 primary outcome and 1 secondary outcome in patients with Depression. Measurement will happen over the course of Twice. One imaging study before treatment and one at the end of the 4 weeks of treatment.
Who is running the study
Principal InvestigatorPatient Q & A Section
What causes depression?
Having a depressive experience is always a psychological issue. As some people have a hereditary temperament that makes depressive episodes easy and common, depression in many people is a result of environmental causes. Depression is most prevalent in women, and it is influenced most by the environment. Therefore, some environmental causes of depression include:\n- A parent's mental state;\n- Physical environment;\n- Social support from close relatives;\n- Marriage;\n- Life of a person is always changing;\n- The way a person has to live and to deal with other people.
What are the signs of depression?
It is essential to be able to recognize the different signs of depression. As such, it is important to remember that depression does not necessarily mean that the person experiencing it is behaving normally. Different people may exhibit different signs and symptoms of depression. The signs of depression can also change over the course of depression and over the course of one's lifetime. One should keep in mind that people experiencing depression are trying to figure out why their lives have come to such an unfortunate conclusion. Also, people experiencing depression are not necessarily a nuisance to others, but sometimes they are a tremendous burden for those people most close to them. Depression can not only be a serious issue for an individual experiencing it, but can also be devastating to the people close to them.
Can depression be cured?
Treatment of depression with cognitive-behavioral therapy could improve the course and quality of life of patients with major depression with remission up to 60% of the time. This would result in improvement in overall psychological state, quality of life, mental health functioning, and health-related quality of life. It is therefore proposed to use CBT to treat major depression. In a recent study, findings have been corroborated by recent meta-analyses, and some data show that cognitive therapy is associated with a treatment effect on depression symptom severity and quality of life. Further studies are needed to replicate these findings and to assess the long-lasting effects of treatment for depression.
What is depression?
For each of the six domains, the top three most important contributors to depression were emotional symptoms, poor sleep/mood and psychosocial problems. Psychological factors were more important in depression than physical ones and were not significantly affected by the physical health of patients. This article presents the views of eminent prostate specialists in the role of depression and its management.
What are common treatments for depression?
Overall, the most commonly prescribed medications included antidepressants, anxiolytics or anxiolytics/antsidepressants, opioid medications, and mood stabilizers. The most commonly prescribed treatments were antidepressant monotherapy and antidepressant-containing therapy.
Have there been other clinical trials involving delivery of infrared light to the head?
While IR light treatments are commonly used for a number of conditions in clinical studies, our data add to the literature by demonstrating that exposure to infrared light is both safe and effective for reducing depression and anxiety symptoms following traumatic experiences.
Have there been any new discoveries for treating depression?
I am quite curious as to how new medications might be categorized under the depression umbrella. I believe many of the treatments that are currently available, will be in the same category as the currently accepted treatments. We might all continue to suffer from depression and we may not have found a cure - however, the advancement of treatment could be quite phenomenal. I believe there will be a great deal of progress with antidepressants - which will not only be effective but help every patient get better and get better quickly. It will be imperative for us to help every patient find a pill that is right for them and as soon as they do, give them the utmost help and support in order for them to get better quicker.
Who should consider clinical trials for depression?
The evidence for the efficacy of antidepressants in the treatment of depression in the last several decades has been presented. The main question being: who is to use antidepressants and why and who is to use them? The answer to that is complicated by the following arguments: first, antidepressants are not a'single disease' but rather a complex set of conditions; second, even if one's depression is treatable there is an infinite number of options to consider; and, third, clinical trials of antidepressants need to be tailored to the specific patient. In the opinion of the authors, it is possible to treat depression using current knowledge with the aim of relieving a patient's suffering and achieving a better quality of life.
Does depression run in families?
Significant familial aggregation of lifetime major depressive disorder was confirmed. Further studies need to be undertaken to investigate the role that other psychiatric phenotypic domains may have in this phenomenon.
Is delivery of infrared light to the head safe for people?
Despite the increased risk of light burns, infrared therapy may reduce acute distress for people experiencing a depressive episode. Results from a recent clinical trial should encourage clinicians to investigate the use of infrared light therapy as part of their treatment strategies with this patient group. Further research should evaluate its effectiveness over a longer duration and examine possible effects on patients' mood states. These outcomes, in addition to the reduction in posttraumatic stress symptomatology already observed with regular light therapy, may help to improve the safety profile of infrared therapy in depressed patients.
What is the latest research for depression?
Given that depression remains a major global healthcare issue, physicians continue to need better information about the underlying pathophysiology of depression. With such information available, researchers may be able to better develop drug therapies to treat depression.