Current Studies : 

Depression | Seasonal Affective Disorder |Anxiety | Bipolar | Pain | Alzheimer's Disease

Depression Studies

Depression affects as many as 19 million Americans or 9.5% of the population (Source: NIH Pub. No: NIH 99-3561).  If you are struggling with depression, you are not alone. Here at Capital Clinical Research Associates we are dedicated to advancing the treatment of depression and are looking for people to help us with this very important mission.  We are currently looking for volunteers who are struggling with depression to participate in several different studies. 

Our studies range in length from a couple of months to over a year in some cases. Participants in all the studies receive full physical work ups and regular follow up visits with our team of highly qualified and experienced psychiatrists. In addition, participants receive study medications at no cost and may be compensated for travel expenses. 

All of our studies involve taking medication and possibly taking a placebo. Many of the studies entail testing new investigational drugs that treat symptoms of depression. We also run studies that use currently available medications or test the effectiveness of combining well-known marketed medication in new ways in the hopes of helping people with severe depression. All the medications that we study have gone through initial FDA evaluation and have been proven to be safe for further study.
To learn more about major depression and to find out whether you may be suffering from it, you may do a self-evaluation.

Major Depression self-evaluation

To find out whether you may be suffering from major depression:
In the past month, have you:

  • Felt down or "blue" a lot of the time?
  • Felt a lot less interested in things or enjoyed things much less than when you were feeling good?
  • Had a significant increase or decrease in your appetite or weight?
  • Had trouble sleeping or slept too much?
  • Felt slowed down or fidgety?
  • Been tired a lot of the time?
  • Felt guilty or down on yourself?
  • Had trouble thinking or concentrating?
  • Felt like life isn't worth living or had wishes that you were dead?

If you answered YES to five or more of these questions, you may be suffering from major depression.

This self-evaluation may be useful in helping you determine if you need to seek professional assistance, but it is not meant to be a diagnostic tool or to substitute for medical or behavioral health care.

 

For more information about our studies on depression,
please contact us by:

Learn more about participating in a study and potential benefits to you.

 

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Seasonal Affective Disorder (Winter Depression)

One of the astonishing facts to emerge from recent research is that most people in the northern United States and Europe experience seasonal changes in mood and behavior, also known as seasonality. When the dark days of winter approach, people with seasonal depression feel slowed down and have difficulty waking up in the morning, are tempted to snack more on those holiday foods and find the pounds begin to creep on even when valiantly trying to diet, find it hard to focus at work or in their relationships, feel down in the dumps or, worse still, really depressed.

In its most marked form, affecting an estimated 6 percent of the U.S. population, seasonality can actually cause a great deal of distress and difficulties in functioning both at work and in one's personal life. These estimated ten million Americans are said to be suffering from seasonal affective disorder or SAD, a condition now widely accepted by the medical community and the public at large. Another 14 percent of the adult U.S. population is estimated to suffer from a lesser form of SAD, known as the winter blues. Though these people are not usually affected severely enough to seek medical attention, they nevertheless feel less cheerful, energetic, creative, and productive during the dark winter days than at other times of the year.

 

Seasonal Affective Disorder self-evaluation

Most people are seasonal, though some are more so than others. In fact, over 90 percent of all those who responded to a survey conducted in Maryland, about thirty-nine degrees north, reported that they felt some difference in mood, energy, or behavior with the change of seasons. The Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ) is a frequently used to determine seasonality. Question 2 of the SPAQ is reproduced below.

  No Change Slight Change Moderate Change Marked Change Extremely Marked Change
A. Sleep Length
B. Social Activity
C. Mood (overall feeling of well being)
D. Weight
E. Appetite
F. Energy Level

   Your Score


Because your browser is not JavaScript enabled, the score cannot be calculated.

To derive your overall seasonality score, calculate your score for all six items, for a possible range of 0 to 24. An average overall score ranges from 4 to 7 points. If your score is 8 to 11, you may fall into the category of subsyndromal SAD, also known as the "winter blues" or "February blahs." If your score is 11 or more, you may well suffer from SAD.

 

For more information about our studies on depression,
please contact us by:

Learn more about participating in a study and potential benefits to you.

 

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"I have been doing clinical research for more than 20 years and think it is a wonderful way to advance our knowledge about the art and science of helping people."


Norman Rosenthal, M.D.
CCRA Medical Director

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