King's College London research in treatment resistant depression

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Advertisement for use for recruitment of volunteers for study REC Number 15/LO/1907, approved by King's College Research Ethics Committee. This project contributes to the College's role in conducting research, and teaching research methods. You are under no obligation to reply to this advertisement, however if you choose to, participation in this research is voluntary and you may withdraw at anytime.

If you do choose to take part in this study, we will reimburse you ?10-?20 (?10 for screening and ?20 for all other visits) for your time as well as any travel expenses that you may incur as a result of participation. We will also provide the study drug free of charge.

You can take part in this study if you are:

- Male or Female aged 25-60

- Current diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder

- Have previously taken an antidepressant medication for at least 6 weeks but did not experience an improvement in your symptoms.

- Are currently taking a different antidepressant medication but have still not experienced an improvement in symptoms.

- Must not have a known diagnosis of bipolar disorder, psychosis or current substance abuse.

What is this study about?

There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that inflammation of the brain and central nervous system is linked to multiple mental health issues, including major depressive disorder (MDD). The purpose of this study is to see if adding a course of anti-inflammatory medication (minocycline) alongside a current course of antidepressant treatment (SSRI medications) can help to reduce depressive symptoms in MDD that has not responded treatment with antidepressants alone.

If I choose to take part, what does this study involve?

This study will involve 3 visits in total. During the first visit we will conduct a short clinical interview to gather comprehensive information about your mental health experiences. There will also be some questionnaires which you can complete yourself. We will conduct a brief physical exam and if you are female, we will ask you to do a urine pregnancy test. Finally, we will take a small amount of blood to check your inflammation levels. All of these procedures will help us to make sure that this study is safe and suitable for you to participate in.

If the first visit has confirmed your suitability, we will invite you back for a second visit. During this visit you will complete some more questionnaires. On this visit, we will be providing you with the study drug (minocycline or placebo, although this will be blinded) and ensure you have detailed instructions on how to use it.

When you have finished your 28-day course of the drug, we will invite you back for a final visit. We will ask you to complete questionnaires again. If you are female, we will ask you to complete another urine pregnancy test. We will also take a small amount of blood to check your inflammation levels once again.

If you would like more information and/or are interested in taking part, please feel free to contact the research team: [email protected]; 0207 848 5450