Tinnitus and treatment-resistant depression.

Tinnitus, a frequent disorder, is the conscious perception of a sound in the absence of a corresponding external acoustic sound source in the sense of a phantom sound. Although the majority of people who perceive a tinnitus sound can cope with it and are only minimaly impaired in their quality of lfe, 2-3% of the population perceive tinnitus as a major problem. Recently it has been proposed that the two groups should be differentiated by distict terms: "Tinnitus" describes the auditory or sensory component, whereas "Tinnitus Disorder" reflects the auditory component and the associated suffering. There is overwhelming evidence that a high tinnitus burden is associated with the increased occurrence of comorbidities, including depression. Since no causal therapeutic options are available for patients with tinnitus at the present time, the identification and adequate treatment of relevant comorbidities is of great importance for the reduction of tinnitus distress. This chapter deals with the relationship between tinnitus and depression. The neuronal mechanisms underlying tinnitus will first be discussed. There will also be an overview about depression and treatment resistant depression (TRD). A comprehensive review about the state-of-the-art evidences of the relationship between tinnitus and TRD will then be provided.

Pharmacotherapy for the treatment of depression in patients with alzheimer's disease: a treatment-resistant depressive disorder.

INTRODUCTION: Pharmacotherapy for the treatment of depressive disorders in Alzheimer's Disease (AD) represents a clinical challenge. pharmacological options are often attempted after a period of watchful waiting (8-12 weeks). monoaminergic antidepressant drugs have shown only modest or null clinical benefits, maybe because the etiology of depressive symptoms in ad patients is fundamentally different from that of nondemented subjects. AREAS COVERED: The following article looks at the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor sertraline, which is one of the most frequently studied antidepressant medications in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). It also discusses many other pharmacological approaches that have proven to be inadequate (antipsychotics, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, anticonvulsants, hormone replacement therapy) and new drug classes (mainly affecting glutamate transmission) that are being studied for treating depression in AD. It also gives discussion to the phase II RCT on the alternative drug S47445 and the potential effect on cognition of the multimodal antidepressant vortioxetine in older depressed patients. Finally, it discusses the N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist ketamine. EXPERT OPINION: The present RCT methodologies are too disparate to draw firm conclusions. Future studies are required to identify effective and multimodal pharmacological treatments that efficiently treat depression in AD. Genotyping may boost antidepressant treatment success.

Deep brain stimulation for treatment-resistant major depressive disorder: a comparison of two targets and long-term follow-up.

We previously found that electrical stimulation in the anterior limb of the internal capsule/bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (IC/BST) alleviates depressive symptoms in severe treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients. Here we tested the hypothesis that electrical stimulation in either IC/BST or in the inferior thalamic peduncle (ITP) effectively reduces depressive symptoms in treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (TRD). In a double-blind crossover design, the effects of electrical stimulation at both targets were compared in TRD patients. The 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating scale (HAM-D) was the primary outcome measure. During the first crossover, patients received IC/BST stimulation versus no stimulation in random order (2 × 1 weeks). During the second crossover (3 × 2 months), patients received IC/BST versus ITP versus no stimulation. Patients and evaluators were blinded for stimulation conditions. All patients (n=7) were followed up for at least 3 years (3-8 years) after implantation. Six patients completed the first crossover and five patients completed the second. During the first crossover, mean (s.d.) HAM-D scores were 21.5 (2.7) for no stimulation and 11.5 (8.8) for IC/BST stimulation. During the second crossover, HAM-D scores were 15.4 (7.5) for no stimulation, 7.6 (3.8) for IC/BST stimulation and 11.2 (7.5) for ITP stimulation. The final sample size was too small to statistically analyze this second crossover. At last follow-up, only one patient preferred ITP over IC/BST stimulation. Two patients, with a history of suicide attempts before implantation, committed suicide during the follow-up phases of this study. Our data indicate that, in the long term, both ITP and IC/BST stimulation may alleviate depressive symptoms in patients suffering from TRD.

Existential dynamic therapy ("VITA") for treatment-resistant depression with cluster C disorder: matched comparison to treatment as usual.

Existential suffering may contribute to treatment-resistant depression. The "VITA" treatment model was designed for such patients with long-standing depression accompanied by existential and/or religious concerns. This naturalistic effectiveness study compared the VITA model (n = 50) with a "treatment as usual" comparison group (TAU; n = 50) of patients with treatment-resistant depression and cluster c comorbidity. The TAU patients were matched on several characteristics with the VITA patients. The VITA model included existential, dynamic, narrative and affect-focused components. The VITA group had significantly greater improvement on symptom distress and relational problems during treatment and from pre-treatment to 1-year follow-up. Patients in the VITA, at follow-up, were more likely to be employed and less likely be using psychotropic medications.