Therapy With an Oxytocin Adjunct for Major Depression
Condition: Depressive Disorder
MeSH terms: Depressive Disorder; Depression
Study type: Interventional
Phase: Phase 2

Summary: 
      This study evaluates the addition of intranasal oxytocin to the treatment of Major Depression
      using interpersonal psychotherapy. Half of the participants will receive a placebo adjunct to
      interpersonal psychotherapy, and the other half will receive oxytocin.
    

Detailed description: 
      Depression is a debilitating mental health condition that carries great consequences for both
      the individual and society. Crucially, at least one third of depressed patients do not
      respond to existing interventions and relapse rates are high, alerting scientists to the need
      to explore possible adjunctive treatments and novel therapeutic targets. In this regard,
      research on the use of oxytocin in the treatment of depression is promising.

      It is well documented that interpersonal stress predicts the onset of depression, and that
      social isolation is a symptom of psychological distress that can leave patients with a poor
      prognosis for recovery. Therapeutic interventions focused on the alleviation of social
      conflict and strengthening of social bonds (i.e. Interpersonal Psychotherapy; IPT) show
      greater efficacy for the treatment of depression than other psychological interventions (NIMH
      Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program; Elkin et al. 1984). It has been
      posited that oxytocin, a naturally produced hormone that is involved in social-support
      seeking and stress-regulation, could represent a biological link between social stress and
      depression in adulthood. The salubrious effect of exogenous oxytocin on human social behavior
      is well documented: Oxytocin has been shown to make individuals feel more securely attached
      in their social relationships, increase their trust in others and openness to new ideas,
      improve their recall of specific and positive social autobiographical memories, and improve
      social learning. Importantly, these factors have been shown to improve the efficacy of
      Interpersonal Psychotherapy. Thus, It stands to reason that the use of oxytocin as an adjunct
      to IPT could improve its efficacy for the treatment of depression, which is an important
      prospect when considering that a third of patients do not respond to existing therapies.

      In the proposed research project, we will conduct a Randomized Controlled Trial for the
      treatment of Major Depression with IPT and adjunctive oxytocin. Patients will be screened for
      eligibility, undergo structured psychotherapy for twelve weeks, and will be followed
      longitudinally for changes in quality of social functioning, interpersonal stress,
      psychiatric symptoms and depressive relapse. Establishing novel interventions for depression
      could position healthcare providers to better alleviate the burden and personal suffering
      caused by this disorder.
    

Intervention name(s): Oxytocin nasal spray or placebo
Intervention type(s): Drug
Other intervention name(s): Syntocinon
Intervention MeSH terms: Oxytocin
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment