Why do antidepressant therapies have such a poor success rate?

Faith-Based Spiritual Intervention for Persons with Depression: Preliminary Evidence from a Pilot Study

Depression is a common, depleting, and potentially life-threatening disorder. This pilot study examined the feasibility and applicability, reported preliminary evidence for effectiveness, and explored the potential healing mechanisms of a faith-based spiritual intervention for people with depression. The intervention consisted of six weekly sessions focused on restoring a connection with the divine, forgiveness and freedom, suffering and transcendence, hope, gratitude, and relapse prevention. Seven adults with mild or moderate depressive symptoms were recruited. A qualitative evaluation was conducted via focus group discussions, and rating scales were administered at baseline, after the intervention, and at the 3-month follow-up. The mean difference scores of the treatment's effect over time were analyzed using Friedman's ANOVA. The themes identified by the focus group included the meaning of the spiritual intervention, the effect of involvement in a spiritual group, and the therapeutic components. The results indicated a significant decrease in the mean scores for depression (PHQ-9) after intervention and at the 3-month follow-up. Participants expressed their improvement in terms of increased knowledge about depression, enhanced coping mechanisms, and improved self-esteem. The preliminary evidence suggested that the faith-based spiritual intervention was effective in reducing depressive symptoms and also helped participants develop a greater sense of connection with themselves, others, and their environment.

Antidepressant-like effect of dehydrozingerone from Zingiber officinale by elevating monoamines in brain: in silico and in vivo studies

BACKGROUND

Dehydrozingerone (DHZ) is an active ingredient of Zingiber officinale and structural half analogue of curcumin. In the present study, DHZ was evaluated for monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitory activity in silico and antidepressant activity in vivo.

METHOD

The binding affinity of DHZ with MAO-A (PDB ID: 2Z5Y) was assessed using Schrodinger's Maestro followed by free energy calculation, pharmacokinetic property prediction using Qikprop and Molecular dynamics simulation using Desmond. In vivo antidepressant activity of DHZ was evaluated on C57 BL/6 male mice using Escilatopram as the standard antidepressant. Open field test (OFT), forced swimming test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST) were used to evaluate the antidepressant effect of the drugs on days 1 and 7. Following the behavioural study, neurotransmitters (noradrenaline, dopamine and serotonin) were estimated using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

RESULTS

DHZ demonstrated a greater binding affinity for the MAO-A enzyme compared to moclobemide in silico. Immobility in TST and FST were significantly (p < 0.05) reduced in vivo with 100mg/kg DHZ as compared to respective controls. DHZ treatment was more effective 1 h post treatment compared to vehicle control. A significant increase in levels of neurotransmitters was observed in mice brain homogenate in response to DHZ treatment, reassuring its antidepressant-like potential.

CONCLUSION

DHZ demonstrated MAO-A inhibition in silico, and the increased neurotransmitter levels in the brain in vivo were associated with an antidepressant-like effect.

The Effectiveness of Aromatherapy for Depressive Symptoms: A Systematic Review

Background. Depression is one of the greatest health concerns affecting 350 million people globally. Aromatherapy is a popular CAM intervention chosen by people with depression. Due to the growing popularity of aromatherapy for alleviating depressive symptoms, in-depth evaluation of the evidence-based clinical efficacy of aromatherapy is urgently needed. Purpose. This systematic review aims to provide an analysis of the clinical evidence on the efficacy of aromatherapy for depressive symptoms on any type of patients. Methods. A systematic database search was carried out using predefined search terms in 5 databases: AMED, CINHAL, CCRCT, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO. Outcome measures included scales measuring depressive symptoms levels. Results. Twelve randomized controlled trials were included and two administration methods for the aromatherapy intervention including inhaled aromatherapy (5 studies) and massage aromatherapy (7 studies) were identified. Seven studies showed improvement in depressive symptoms. Limitations. The quality of half of the studies included is low, and the administration protocols among the studies varied considerably. Different assessment tools were also employed among the studies. Conclusions. Aromatherapy showed potential to be used as an effective therapeutic option for the relief of depressive symptoms in a wide variety of subjects. Particularly, aromatherapy massage showed to have more beneficial effects than inhalation aromatherapy.