Major Depressive Disorder

Disease State Hub

FDA Alerts

FDA Alert

FDA Approves First Oral Medication for Treatment of Postpartum Depression

10/04/2023

Jessica Ganga

Following two randomized studies, the FDA has approved zuranolone for the treatment of postpartum depression in adults—the first if its kind.

10/04/2023

major depression

FDA Approves 3-Minute, Noninvasive Treatment for Depression

08/23/2018

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a shortened version of existing brain stimulation protocol for treatment-resistant major depressive disorder.

08/23/2018

Major Depressive Disorder Snapshot

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For a period of at least 2 weeks, an individual maintains a depressed mood, which may involve feelings of guilt or worthlessness, lack of energy, poor concentration, appetite changes, agitation, sleep disturbances, or suicidal thoughts.

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clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, primary care physicians, emergency medicine, social workers

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One must have at least 5 symptoms from this list: depressed mood, inability to experience pleasure, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, lack of energy, poor concentration, appetite changes, agitation, sleep disturbances, or suicidal thoughts

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(continued) From that list, one of the symptoms must be a depressed mood or inability to experience pleasure in order to be diagnosed with MDD.

Ref: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559078/

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The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9): Used to quantify severity and assist in diagnosis of depression symptoms. PHQ-9 scores each of the DSM criteria of MDD as “0” (not at all) to “3” (nearly every day), providing a 0-27 severity score.

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Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D): clinician-administered depression rating scale commonly used to measure depression in adults. Of the 21 items on the scale, only the first 17 are used for scoring.

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(continued) Other tests include: Beck Depression Inventory, Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale, Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale

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In 2021, an estimated 21 million adults in the United States had at least one major depressive episode, representing an estimated 8.3% of all U.S. adults.

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The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends that all adults—including those pregnant and postpartum—be screened for depression.

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The percentage of female high school students who experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2021 was 57%, a record level and double the rate of males.

Research Summaries

Research Summary

Low Prevalence of Depression in Children from 2004 to 2019

01/18/2024

Jessica Ganga

Researchers evaluated the prevalence of depression disorders in pediatric patients to determine if there is a mental health impact on this age group.

01/18/2024

Research Summary

Research Summary

Association of Major Depression With Oral Contraceptive Pill Use

01/03/2024

Jessica Ganga

A team of researchers evaluated the connection between oral contraceptive pill use and the prevalence of major depression in women.

01/03/2024

Research summary

Research summary

USPSTF Recommendations on Screening for MDD, Suicide Risk in Adults

07/28/2023

Jessica Ganga

The USPSTF has updated its recommendations on screening adults for major depressive disorder (MDD) and suicide risk.

07/28/2023

Research Summary

ACP Updates MDD Treatment Guidelines

02/15/2023

The American College of Physicians updated its recommendations on pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatment options for adults with major depressive disorder.

02/15/2023

Electroconvulsive Therapy

Electroconvulsive Therapy Potentially a Better Option in Treating Major Depressive Episodes Than Ketamine

01/05/2023

Researchers conducted a systematic review to compare the treatment efficacy and safety of ketamine and electroconvulsive therapy.

01/05/2023

April 2024

Current Issue

April 2024

Volume 64

Issue 4

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559078/
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/major-depression
Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JB. The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. J Gen Intern Med. 2001 Sep;16(9):606-13.
https://www.med.upenn.edu/cbti/assets/user-content/documents/Hamilton%20Rating%20Scale%20for%20Depression%20(HAM-D).pdf
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth behavior risk survey: data summary and trends report. Accessed March 31, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/yrbs_data_summary_and_trends.htm