Adult Late-Life Depression Research Clinic
Since 1996, the adult Late-Life Depression Research Clinic has been at the forefront of the study of depression and the treatment of patients who suffer from this illness.
This clinic offers free and confidential out-patient treatment for eligible patients in clinical research studies of standard and new antidepressant medications as well as innovative approaches to the treatment of depression. These studies are funded by the National Institutes of Health, private foundations and the pharmaceutical industry. The studies cover a wide range of depressive illness including mild and severe depression, depression with atypical or classical symptoms, chronic forms of mild depression often referred to as dysthymia, and for patients in late life, depression with memory problems. The initial evaluation, including all laboratory work, is free and for eligible patients all care in research studies and study-related medication are also free.
Patients who are evaluated at the clinic for evaluation receive an extended diagnostic consultation with a psychiatrist and a research social worker/research nurse. Each patient has his or her own unique combination of depressive symptoms and medical conditions; thus, special care and time is taken to determine which research study, if any, is best suited to each patient. If a patient enters a research study, a team of psychiatrists, social workers, nurses, and study coordinators meet with the patient frequently, often on a weekly basis, to monitor the effectiveness and safety of treatment. Once the research study is completed, patients may continue their treatment at the clinic free of charge for a period of at least three months.
Research studies at the clinic are focused on learning more about the psychobiology and treatment of depression through the adult life cycle. Some of the research questions currently being investigated are:
1. What is the best treatment for older people who have mild chronic depression?
2. Are there novel antidepressant medications that may work as well but with fewer side effects than current treatments?
3. Are there innovative treatments for patients who have been resistant to antidepressant medication?
In older patients with depression and memory problems, are there treatment strategies that can effectively address both types of symptoms and result in good long-term outcomes?
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Contact information
Phone Contact:
646-774-6728
Location Address:
Adult and Late Life Depression Research Clinic
New York State Psychiatric Institute
Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center
1051 Riverside Drive, Room 1501
New York, NY 10032
Staff
Steven Roose, MD
Robert Berman, MD, PhD
D.P. Devanand, MD
David Hardesty, MD
Gregory Pelton, MD
Joan Prudic, MD
Bret Rutherford, MD
Harold Sackeim, PhD
Joel Sneed, PhD
Nancy Payne, LCSW, MA
Nancy Turret, LCSW
Linda Fitzsimons, MS, RNC