{"id":47009,"date":"2000-05-03T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2000-05-03T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2000\/05\/03\/study-will-help-understand-depression-in-older-adults\/"},"modified":"2022-08-29T10:55:24","modified_gmt":"2022-08-29T15:55:24","slug":"study-will-help-understand-depression-in-older-adults","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2000\/05\/03\/study-will-help-understand-depression-in-older-adults\/","title":{"rendered":"Study Will Help Understand Depression in Older Adults"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/FONT><\/I><\/p>\n


UNMC Researchers Seek People 75 Years and Older for<\/p>\n

Nationwide Study on Depression Treatment<\/FONT><\/B><\/p>\n

The University of Nebraska Medical Center Department of Psychopharmacology<\/p>\n

is seeking 20 adults age 75 and older who may be experiencing depression<\/p>\n

and are not currently on medication and want relief. Researchers are conducting<\/p>\n

a study they hope will lead to better understanding of the effects of the<\/p>\n

treatment of depression in older adults.<\/p>\n

The research will compare the effectiveness of the anti-depressant,<\/p>\n

citalopram hydrobromide, to a placebo in treating depression. Citalopram<\/p>\n

is prescribed around the world as an effective anti-depressant and is thought<\/p>\n

to be a safer anti-depressant for older adults.<\/p>\n

UNMC is one of 10 universities in the country chosen to conduct the<\/p>\n

8-week, 200-patient study funded by Forest Pharmaceuticals. UNMC will receive<\/p>\n

a $150,000 grant. The research will be the first to evaluate whether adults<\/p>\n

over 75 years old respond to typical anti-depression drug treatment.<\/p>\n

Anti-depressants havent been well-studied in people 75 and older.<\/p>\n

We believe they work but we dont know if its the medication or the counseling<\/p>\n

and increased attention by family, said William Burke, M.D., professor<\/p>\n

and director of the UNMC Psychopharmacology Research Center. As mental<\/p>\n

health professionals, we assume anti-depressants work for persons of all<\/p>\n

ages but we dont know for sure.<\/p>\n

Depression has a profound effect on daily function. It can lead to physical<\/p>\n

and mental disability, increased number of days in bed, more visits to<\/p>\n

health providers and a decrease in enjoyment of life. It also is associated<\/p>\n

with increased mortality and suicide.<\/p>\n

The hallmark symptoms of depression usually include four of the following<\/p>\n

changes for  a minimum of two to four weeks: sleep disturbance, decreased<\/p>\n

energy, appetite, concentration and an increase in restlessness, anxiety<\/p>\n

and guilt, as well as a decreased interest in activities and suicidal ideas.<\/p>\n

The study also will evaluate whether other prescriptions for health<\/p>\n

conditions taken by study participants alter the effectiveness of the anti-depressant<\/p>\n

or cause depression. The study also will use magnetic resonance imaging<\/p>\n

(MRI) to look for evidence of physical changes in the brain that might<\/p>\n

be causing depression.<\/p>\n

We want to know what is the best way of treating people in this age<\/p>\n

group, Dr. Burke said. We want to know if medications help and how much<\/p>\n

they help. If they dont help, we have to look at other forms of treatment<\/p>\n

such as education and psychotherapy or talk therapy.<\/p>\n

Its important to understand depression in the older adult. Theres<\/p>\n

some evidence there are different causes of depression for older adults.<\/p>\n

For example, we suspect there are vascular changes in the brain that may<\/p>\n

be involved. Also, persons with Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease<\/p>\n

and stroke all seem to have an increased risk of depression. We believe<\/p>\n

this is due to changes in the brain caused by those diseases. We want to<\/p>\n

better understand the association.<\/p>\n

Researchers also want to know if particular chemicals in other medications<\/p>\n

taken for physical health conditions seen in older adults can cause depression.<\/p>\n

The top 20 medications taken by older adults dont have a lot of properties<\/p>\n

that affect memory and mood, Dr. Burke said. But four, five or six drugs<\/p>\n

in combination could be blocking normal brain function, causing depression.<\/p>\n

Evidence suggests people over 75 years old who are healthy and live<\/p>\n

in their own home have the lowest depression rate of any age group. On<\/p>\n

the other hand, those who are in ill-health and live in a nursing home,<\/p>\n

assisted living or are in the hospital have a 30 to 50 percent rate of<\/p>\n

depression.”<\/p>\n

Dr. Burke said he and researchers expect up to one-third of the people<\/p>\n

taking placebos in the study to get relief from their depression due to<\/p>\n

social interaction and regular visits.<\/p>\n

UNMC and the other 10 centers involved in the study were chosen for<\/p>\n

their ability to work with older people with depression, Dr. Burke said.<\/p>\n

We are flattered to be included in this group. Weve been doing this a<\/p>\n

long time. Many of our staff have more than 10 years of experience and<\/p>\n

have developed considerable expertise to benefit our patients.<\/p>\n

The other centers are Harvard University, Yale University, Duke University,<\/p>\n

Cornell University, St. Louis University, Brown University, University<\/p>\n

of Pittsburgh, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, and the<\/p>\n

University of California Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

Eligible study participants should be in reasonably good health, not<\/p>\n

currently on anti-depressants and not have Alzheimers disease. Potential<\/p>\n

candidates will receive evaluations, clinic visits, blood draws and an<\/p>\n

MRI. Participants accepted into the study will be offered free treatment<\/p>\n

following the study.<\/p>\n

People ages 75 and older who are currently experiencing depression,<\/p>\n

as well as those who think they are experiencing depression can call UNMC<\/p>\n

at (402) 559-5056 for more information about the study. Callers can be<\/p>\n

screened over the phone if they think they are experiencing depression.<\/p>\n

UNMC is the only public academic health science center in the state.<\/p>\n

Through its commitment to research, education, outreach and patient care,<\/p>\n

UNMC has established itself as one of the country’s leading centers for<\/p>\n

cancer research and treatment, solid organ transplantation and arthritis.<\/p>\n

During the past year, nearly $31 million in research grants and contracts<\/p>\n

were awarded to UNMC scientists, and UNMCs funding from the National Institutes<\/p>\n

of Health increased by 28 percent, going from $16.2 million to $20.7 million.<\/p>\n

UNMCs educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals<\/p>\n

practicing in Nebraska than any other institution.<\/p>\n


 <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UNMC Researchers Seek People 75 Years and Older for Nationwide Study on Depression Treatment The University of Nebraska Medical Center Department of Psychopharmacology is seeking 20 adults age 75 and older who may be experiencing depression and are not currently on medication and want relief. Researchers are conducting a study they hope will lead to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","department-press-release"],"yoast_head":"\nStudy Will Help Understand Depression in Older Adults<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"UNMC Researchers Seek People 75 Years and Older for Nationwide Study on 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