NAMI Ask the Expert: Recent Advancements in Treatment and Research on Major Depressive Disorder OD001

An on-demand video and transcript of the presentation are available here [opens in new tab].

About The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. They are an alliance of more than 650 local Affiliates and 49 State organizations who work in your community to raise awareness and provide support and education to people with mental illness and their loved ones. Through awareness, advocacy and education, NAMI is committed to building stronger communities and a better future for everyone affected by mental illness.

Course Summary

Practice Level: Intermediate

This course, based on the Ask the Expert webinar series by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), delves into the complexities of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). The course provides a comprehensive overview of MDD, including its diagnostic criteria, symptoms, epidemiology, and the various subtypes such as melancholic, atypical, and anxious depression. The presentation examines risk factors, including genetic predisposition, environmental influences, and societal stressors that contribute to the rise of depression worldwide and the increasing prevalence of MDD in younger populations.

The course, with an intended audience of social workers, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and counselors, then presents current approaches and recent biological treatment advances for MDD, such as improved understandings of GABA and glutamate and psychedelic-assisted therapies. Discussions emphasize the importance of precision psychiatry and early intervention strategies to improve treatment outcomes.

Course Format

This course contains a practice test and an on-demand video (with a slide deck of the presentation). When you’re ready, purchase the course by clicking the “Add To Cart” or “Enroll” button. This will let you take the test, complete the course evaluation and receive your certificate for CE credits.

Learning Objectives

1. Describe core diagnostic criteria, prevalence, risk factors, and subtypes of MDD.
2. Explain recent advancements in MDD treatment.

Course Syllabus

• Overview of Major Depressive Disorder
• Prevalence
• Risk Factors
• Subtypes
• Recent Advancements of MDD Treatment

Current References

Anand, A., Mathew, S. J., Sanacora, G., Murrough, J. W., Goes, F. S., Altinay, M., Aloysi, A. S., Asghar-Ali, A. A., Barnett, B. S., Chang, L. C., Collins, K. A., Costi, S., Iqbal, S., Jha, M. K., Krishnan, K., Malone, D. A., Nikayin, S., Nissen, S. E., Ostroff, R. B., … Hu, B. (2023). Ketamine versus ECT for nonpsychotic treatment-resistant major depression. The New England Journal of Medicine, 388(25), 2315–2325. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2302399 [opens in new tab]

Carhart, Harris Robin, Giribaldi, B., Watts, R., Baker, Jones Michelle, Murphy, Beiner Ashleigh, Murphy, R., Martell, J., Blemings, A., Erritzoe, D., & Nutt, D. J. (2021). Trial of psilocybin versus escitalopram for depression. New England Journal of Medicine, 384(15), 1402–1411. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2032994 [opens in new tab]

Fava, M., Stahl, S., Pani, L., De Martin, S., Pappagallo, M., Guidetti, C., Alimonti, A., Bettini, E., Mangano, R. M., Wessel, T., de Somer, M., Caron, J., Vitolo, O. V., DiGuglielmo, G. R., Gilbert, A., Mehta, H., Kearney, M., Mattarei, A., Gentilucci, M., … Manfredi, P. L. (2022). REL-1017 (esmethadone) as adjunctive treatment in patients with major depressive disorder: A phase 2a randomized double-blind trial. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 179(2), 122–131. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2021.21020197 [opens in new tab]

Goodwin, G. M., Aaronson, S. T., Alvarez, O., Arden, P. C., Baker, A., Bennett, J. C., Bird, C., Blom, R. E., Brennan, C., Brusch, D., Burke, L., Campbell-Coker, K., Carhart-Harris, R., Cattell, J., Aster, D., DeBattista, C., Dunlop, B. W., Eisen, K., Feifel, D., … Malievskaia, E. (2022). Single-Dose Psilocybin for a Treatment-Resistant Episode of Major Depression. The New England Journal of Medicine, 387(18), 1637–1648. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2206443 [opens in new tab]

Gunduz-Bruce, H., Silber, C., Kaul, I., Rothschild, A. J., Riesenberg, R., Sankoh, A. J., Li, H., Lasser, R., Zorumski, C. F., Rubinow, D. R., Paul, S. M., Jonas, J., Doherty, J. J., & Kanes, S. J. (2019). Trial of SAGE-217 in patients with major depressive disorder. New England Journal of Medicine, 381(10), 903–911. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1815981 [opens in new tab]

Magaraggia, I., Kuiperes, Z., & Schreiber, R. (2021). Improving cognitive functioning in major depressive disorder with psychedelics: A dimensional approach. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 183, 107467. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107467 [opens in new tab]

Park, E. R., Sylvia, L. G., Streck, J. M., Luberto, C. M., Stanton, A. M., Perez, G. K., Baim, M., Bliss, C. C., Convery, M. S., Crute, S., Denninger, J. W., Donelan, K., Dossett, M. L., Fava, M., Fredriksson, S., Fricchione, G., George, N., Hall, D. L., Hart, B. R., … Wilhelm, S. (2021). Launching a resiliency group program to assist frontline clinicians in meeting the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic: Results of a hospital-based systems trial. General Hospital Psychiatry, 68, 111–112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2020.10.005 [opens in new tab]

Papakostas, G. I., Salloum, N. C., Hock, R. S., Jha, M. K., Murrough, J. W., Mathew, S. J., Iosifescu, D. V., & Fava, M. (2020). Efficacy of esketamine augmentation in major depressive disorder: A meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 81(4), 19r12889. https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.19r12889 [opens in new tab] 

Tabuteau, H., Jones, A., Anderson, A., Jacobson, M., & Iosifescu, D. V. (2022). Effect of AXS-05 (dextromethorphan-bupropion) in major depressive disorder: A randomized double-blind controlled trial. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 179(7), 490–499. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.21080800 [opens in new tab]

Wilhelm, S., Bernstein, E. E., Bentley, K. H., Snorrason, I., Hoeppner, S. S., Klare, D., Greenberg, J. L., Weingarden, H., McCoy, T. H., & Harrison, O. (2024). Feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a smartphone app-led cognitive behavioral therapy for depression under therapist supervision: Open trial. JMIR Mental Health, 11, e53998. https://doi.org/10.2196/53998 [opens in new tab]

Instructor

Maurizio Fava, MD

Maurizio Fava, MD is a psychiatrist and Chair of the Mass General Brigham Academic Medical Centers Psychiatry Department, executive director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Clinical Trials Network and Institute, and the Slater Family Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Fava is a world leader in the field of depression and clinical psychopharmacology. He founded and was director of the hospital’s Depression Clinical and Research Program from 1990 until 2014. Under Dr. Fava’s direction, the Depression Clinical and Research Program became one of the most highly regarded depression programs in the country, a model for academic programs that link, in a bi-directional fashion, clinical and research work.

M. Lys Hunt, MSW, LICSW

M. Lys Hunt, MSW, LICSW is the Mental Health Program Director for CE4Less and has been practicing social work for over 25 years and is licensed in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. She earned her Master’s Degree from the Boston University School of Social Work and completed a post graduate fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital. Her clinical work specializes in the areas of mental health and child and family welfare. She has been a consultant and planner of continuing education for social workers, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and counselors for over 18 years.

Accreditation Approval Statements

CE4Less.com is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. CE4Less.com maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

CE4Less.com, provider #1115, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 8/8/24-8/8/27.

Social workers completing this course receive 1 clinical continuing education credit.

This course has been approved by CE4Less.com, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider #91345, CE4Less.com is responsible for all aspects of the programing.

We are committed to providing our learners with unbiased information. CE4Less never accepts commercial support and our authors have no significant financial or other conflicts of interest pertaining to the material.