NIMH Pages about Clinical Research and Trials
Learn more about Clinical Research and Trials…
Publications
- Neuroimaging and Mental Illness: A Window Into the Brain
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Researchers use brain scans to study brain development in healthy people and people with illnesses. This publication answers frequently asked questions about what brain scans can and cannot do related to diagnosing mental illnesses.
Date: 2009 - A Participant's Guide to Mental Health Clinical Research
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This brochure, prepared by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), provides answers to common questions about volunteering for mental health clinical research. NIMH is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting medical research.
Date: 2009
Science News
- Clinical Tests Begin on Medication to Correct Fragile X Defect
- November 02, 2009 • Press Release
NIH-supported scientists at Seaside Therapeutics in Cambridge, Mass., are beginning a clinical trial of a potential medication designed to correct a central neurochemical defect underlying Fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability. There has to date been no medication that could alter the disorder’s neurologic abnormalities. The study will evaluate safety, tolerability, and optimal dosage in healthy volunteers. - Telephone-based Depression Treatment Program Effective While Cost Efficient
- October 16, 2009 • Science Update
Patients who receive structured, telephone-based support to manage their depression gain significant benefits with only moderate increases in health care costs compared to those who receive usual care, according to an NIMH-funded analysis published in the October 2009 issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry. - New Approach to Reducing Suicide Attempts Among Depressed Teens
- September 29, 2009 • Science Update
A novel treatment approach that includes medication plus a newly developed type of psychotherapy that targets suicidal thinking and behavior shows promise in treating depressed adolescents who had recently attempted suicide, according to a treatment development and pilot study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The study, described in three articles, was published in the October 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. - Combination Treatment for Psychotic Depression Holds Promise
- August 07, 2009 • Science Update
A combination of an atypical antipsychotic medication and an antidepressant known as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) may be more effective in treating psychotic depression than an atypical antipsychotic alone, according to results from an NIMH-funded clinical study. - Searching for Risk Factors of Suicidal Events During Antidepressant Treatment
- May 29, 2009 • Science Update
A new set of analyses of the NIMH-funded Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS) were conducted to better understand what may predict the development of suicidal events during treatment. The analyses, which were published in the May 2009 issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, showed that youths with suicidal thoughts and more severe depression prior to treatment were at higher risk for suicidal events while undergoing treatment.
Meeting Summaries
- Child and Adolescent Effectiveness Research in Clinical Practice and Community Settings: Needs, Challenges, and Opportunities
- January 24, 2008 – January 25, 2008
Washington, D.C.
This workshop provided a forum for reviewing accomplishments and challenges in conducting effectiveness research in practice and other community settings and served as an opportunity for informally discussing promising approaches to further research. The focus of the meeting was on testing the effectiveness of treatment interventions for children and adolescents when delivered in clinical practice and other community settings, such as schools. - Strategies for Developing Novel Interventions for Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- October 11, 2007
Bethesda, Maryland
The goal of this workshop was to explore novel treatment approaches to neurodevelopmental disorders and strategies for promoting the development of innovative therapeutic approaches. - NCDEU Meeting
- June 01, 2006
Boca Raton, Florida
Named after the original NIMH New Clinical Drug Evaluation Unit clinical trials program, the NCDEU meeting has grown and evolved over the years to include a broad range of academic and industry investigators, practitioners, and NIMH and FDA staff.
Director’s Updates
- NIMH Perspective on Diagnosing and Treating Bipolar Disorder in Children
- September 03, 2007
A recently published research paper (September 2007, Archives of General Psychiatry) reported a 40-fold increase in the rate of diagnosing bipolar disorder in youth over the past decade. - NIMH Perspective on Antipsychotic Reimbursement: Using Results from the CATIE Cost Effectiveness Study
- December 01, 2006
The recent publication (December 1, 2006, American Journal of Psychiatry) of the cost-effectiveness results from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)-funded Clinical Antipsychotic Trials in Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) has raised questions among advocates, families, and clinicians about reimbursement policies for antipsychotic medications. - NIMH Perspective on Treating Alzheimer’s Patients with Antipsychotic Medications
- October 12, 2006
The recent publication of phase 1 results from the NIMH-funded Clinical Antipsychotic Trials in Intervention Effectiveness for Alzheimer's disease (CATIE-AD) in the New England Journal of Medicine provides new information about the use of several "atypical" antipsychotic medications for the treatment of psychotic symptoms in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
