Depression is projected to be the primary cause of disability worldwide by 2030. Our aim was to test the feasibility of a supportive text messaging mobile health intervention in improving treatment outcomes in depressed patients.

We performed a single-rater-blinded randomised trial involving 73 patients with Major Depressive Disorder. Patients in the intervention group (n = 35) received twice-daily supportive text messages for 3 months while those in the control group (n = 38) received a single text message every fortnight thanking them for participating in the study.

After adjusting for baseline BDI scores, a significant difference remained in the three month mean BDI scores between the intervention and control groups: (20.8 (SD = 11.7) vs. 24.9 (SD = 11.5), F (1, 60) = 4.83, P = 0.03, ηp2 = 0.07). The mean difference in the BDI scores change was significant with an effect size (Cohen's d) of 0.67. Furthermore, after adjusting for baseline scores, a significant difference remained in the three month mean self-rated VAS scores (EQ-5D-5L scale) between the intervention and control groups, 65.7 (SD = 15.3) vs. 57.4 (SD = 22.9), F (1, 60) = 4.16, P = 0.05, ηp2 = 0.065. The mean difference in change mean self-rated VAS scores was also statistically significant with an effect size (Cohen's d) of 0.51.

Our findings suggest that supportive text messages are a potentially useful psychological intervention for depression, especially in underserved populations. Further studies are needed to explore the implications of our findings in larger clinical samples.

To complement the oversubscribed counselling services in Alberta, the Text4Mood program which delivers daily supportive text messages to subscribers was launched on the 18th of January, 2016. This report presents an evaluation of self-reports of the impact of the program on the mental wellbeing of subscribers.

An online link to a survey questionnaire was created by an expert group and delivered via text messages to mobile phones of all 4111 active subscribers of the Text4Mood program as of April 11, 2016.

Overall, 894 subscribers answered the survey (overall response rate 21.7%). The response rate for individual questions varied and is reported alongside the results. Most respondents were female (83%, n = 668), Caucasian (83%, n = 679), and diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder (38%, n = 307), including Depression (25.4%, n = 227) and Anxiety (20%, n = 177). Overall, 52% (n = 461) signed up for Text4Mood to help elevate their mood and 24.5% (n = 219) signed up to help them worry less. Most respondents felt the text messages made them more hopeful about managing issues in their lives (81.7%, n = 588), feel in charge of managing depression and anxiety (76.7%, n = 552), and feel connected to a support system (75.2%, n = 542). The majority of respondents felt Text4Mood improved their overall mental well-being (83.1%, n = 598).

Supportive text messages are a feasible and acceptable way of delivering adjunctive psychological interventions. Given that text messages are affordable, readily available, and can be delivered to thousands of people simultaneously, they present an opportunity to help close the psychological treatment gap for mental health patients.

The Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSS) is a self-report 19-item scale preceded by five screening items. The BSS and its screening items are intended to assess a patient's thoughts, plans and intent to commit suicide. All 24 items are rated on a three-point scale (0 to 2). In this study, scores from the five screening items were included in the overall score. Therefore, total scores could range from 0 to 48.There is no study until this date that examines the factor structure of BSS among Kuwaitis.

The current study investigated the original three-factor model of the (BSS) in non-clinical sample.

Sample one consisted of 285 males and 300 female students from Kuwait University while sample two consisted of 201 males and 302 females from Kuwait University. The Arabic version of BSS was administered to participants. Explanatory factor based on sample 1 and conformity factor analysis based on sample 2 of BSS were used in this study.

The explanatory and confirmatory factor analysis of (BSS) extracts three factors and three structures of BSS. Factor I = active suicidal desire; Factor II = preparation; Factor III = passive suicidal desire. In addition, the results revealed no significant gender differences in the factor structure of BSS.

The results of both confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis indicated that the original three-factor model provided the best fit for the two genders.

The aim of study was to evaluate the pharmacotherapeutic efficacy of NDGA in experimental paradigm of depression i.e. olfactory bulbectomy (OB) specifically targeting kynurenine pathway.

Depression like behaviours was induced in OB mice and evaluated by assessment of various behavioural (olfactory deficit test, forced swim test, splash test, open field test, sucrose preference test), biochemical (catalase, reduced glutathione, SOD, nitrite, MAO-A, MDA, corticosterone), inflammatory cytokines (TNF- α, IL-1β, IL-6, IFN-γ) levels and alterations in delta sleep was recorded using EEG. Kynurenine pathway metabolites were determined in plasma and brain using HPLC method. After 14 days post-surgery, olfactory bulbectomized (OBX) mice were administered nordihydroguaiaretic acid (5 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg) daily i.p.

We have developed a new HPLC method for simultaneous estimation of monoamines and kynurenine pathway metabolites in plasma and brain samples of mice. Chronic treatment with nordihydroguaiaretic acid significantly restored all behavioural, biochemical and neurochemical alterations in OBX mice and increase in quinolinic acid and decrease in kynurenic acid point out the neurodegeneration hypothesis of depression.

Nordihydroguaiaretic acid showed potent neuropharmacotherapeutic effect in OBX mice by virtue of its strong anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-stress and by restoring quinolinic acid levels.

Previous studies demonstrated efficacy of reduction of QEEG prefrontal theta cordance (RC) after the first week of treatment in the prediction of antidepressant response.

The study aimed to compare the ability of RC in the prediction of response to various antidepressant classes.

All patients (n = 142) were treated with antidepressants (SSRI-58, SNRI-47, NDRI-22, NaSSA-15) for ≥ 4 weeks. Response was defined as MADRS reduction ≥ 50%. EEG were performed at baseline and week 1 of treatment and cordance was calculated for 3 prefrontal electrodes (Fp1, Fp2, Fz).

Logistic regression identified RC as a predictor of response to SSRI, SNRI and NDRI but not for NaSSA. Predictive parameters of RC for response to mentioned antidepressant classes are displayed in the Table 1.

Areas under curves of ROC analysis (AUC) of RC for response prediction were not significantly different among antidepressant classes.

The predictive efficacy of RC for response to SSRI, SNRI and NDRI was comparable.

This study was supported by the grants of MH CZ nr.15-29900A, MH CZ – DRO (NIMH-CZ, 00023752) and by the project Nr. LO1611 from the MEYS under the NPU I program.

In spite of the frequency and the gravity of the depressive episodes, the major depressive disorder (MDD) is diagnosed and treated today insufficiently and the risk factors of its recurrence are little approached.

Describe the socio–demographic, clinical and therapeutic characteristics of patients with MDD and identify the factors involved in the recurrence risk.

This is a retrospective study carried out in the university hospital of Mahdia, Tunisia during two years. We have included patients with a follow up for at least two years and diagnosed with MDD, isolated episode or MDD, recurrent episode according to the DSM-IV-TR criteria. Data collection was performed using two pre-established questionnaires respectively with 51 and 92 items. We have estimated the time to recurrence with the Kaplan-Meier estimator.

We have collected 150 patients. The time to recurrence was 109 months. Five factors were associated with recurrence: early age at onset of the disorder, family history of mood disorders, severity of the index major depressive episode, persistent residual symptoms and ceasing treatment.

Depression is a very common mental illness that is highly recurrent in individuals. There is great interest in the development of strategies that might reduce the recurrence of depression.

Burnout has widely infiltrated the popular culture and has been extensively studied in both psychiatry and psychology. However, there are currently no consensual or binding diagnostic criteria for burnout. A major obstacle to the elevation of burnout to the status of nosological category is the overlap of burnout with depression.

We examined whether burnout and depressive symptoms can be distinguished from each other using a person-centered approach.

A total of 1759 French schoolteachers took part in the present study (77% female; mean age: 41; mean length of employment: 15). Burnout symptoms were assessed with the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure (14 items) and depressive symptoms with a dedicated module of the Patient Health Questionnaire (9 items). Data were primarily processed using two-step cluster analysis. Correlation analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were additionally carried out.

Considered as continuous variables, burnout and depression were found to be closely intertwined (r = 0.81; disattenuated correlation: 0.91). Our cluster analysis revealed four different participant profiles, identifiable as “minimal burnout-depression” (n = 542; 31%), “low burnout-depression” (n = 566; 32%), “medium burnout-depression” (n = 412; 23%), and “high burnout-depression” (n = 239; 14%). Burnout and depression played equivalently important roles in cluster construction. Our ANOVA confirmed that the four clusters differed from each other in terms of burnout and depressive symptoms.

Our findings are consistent with the view that the burnout syndrome is depressive in nature. A diagnostic category dedicated to burnout may therefore not be needed.

More than 40 years after the introduction of the construct in the literature, the status of “burnout” remains unclear. Whether burnout is anything other than a depressive syndrome has been increasingly discussed in recent years.

We examined the extent to which burnout can be considered distinct from depression.

We reviewed the literature dedicated to burnout-depression overlap over the last decade.

Recent research suggests that burnout and depression overlap in terms of (a) etiology, with (chronic) unresolvable stress a common, key causal factor, (b) clinical picture and course, with burnout and depressive manifestations inextricably linked such that they increase or decrease together over time, (c) cognitive biases, with burnout and depressive symptoms similarly predicting increased attention to negative stimuli and decreased attention to positive stimuli, (d) dispositional correlates (e.g, neuroticism, rumination, pessimism), and (e) allostatic load—an index of the biological cost of adaptation to life adversity. Hypocortisolism has been linked to both burnout and depression with atypical features—a highly prevalent form of depression. The often-invoked argument that burnout is singularized by its job-related character is actually invalid given that (a) depression can also be job-related and (b) the “job-relatedness” of a syndrome is not nosologically discriminant in itself.

Robust evidence that burnout overlaps with depression has accumulated in recent years. The burnout construct is unlikely to capture a distinct pathological phenomenon. We propose that burnout be characterized as a depressive syndrome for the sake of conceptual parsimony, theoretical clarity, and effective public health policies.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) does not consistently respond to any single antidepressant (AD) therapy. Adjunctive therapy with atypical antipsychotics (AA) showed higher response rates compared with AD monotherapy. Aripiprazole, an oral quinolinone, is the first AA agent to be approved in the US as adjunctive treatment in adult patients with MDD.

Aim The aim was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of adjunctive low-dose aripiprazole combined with AD versus AD monotherapy in patients with MDD with minimal improvement after 4 weeks of prior AD monotherapy.

Ten patients with MDD and a history of minimal improvement to 4 weeks of AD monotherapy (escitalopram 10–15 mg/day, sertralin 50–100 mg/day) were included in this study. The patients were randomly assigned to 2 groups: one (n = 5) with AD plus aripiprazole 5–7.5 mg/day and the other (n = 5) with AD alone. After baseline assessment, the subjects were followed up at weeks 2, and 4. The primary efficacy was the mean change in (HAM-D17) and CGI-I.

The aripiprazole group exhibited significantly better efficacy than the AD group in mean total score changes of HAM-D17 and CGI from the baseline to weeks 2, and 4. The item “work and social activities” of HAM-D 17 showed significant improvement at week 4, and the item “somatic symptoms (GI)” showed significant improvement at week 2.

Adjunctive aripiprazole therapy significantly improved depressive symptoms in MDD who didn’t respond to AD monotherapy. Aripiprazole augmentation is an efficacious, well-tolerated and safe treatment for patients with MDD.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) represents the most common cause of chronic respiratory failure and it's associated with several comorbidities such as depression. Depression is about four times more frequent in elderly patients with COPD compared to peers who are not affected and its prevalence increases with the degree of disease severity.

To assess mood and perception of the quality of life in elderly patients hospitalized for acute exacerbation of COPD.

Thirty-five elderly patients hospitalized for reactivation of COPD were examined; they were subjected to spirometry test for the calculation of FEV1 and to COPD Assessment Test (CAT) and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) to evaluate impact of COPD on patients’ quality of life and depressive symptomatology, respectively. The number of COPD exacerbations in the last year prior to hospitalization and the number of recovery days required for the stabilization of patients were also recorded.

There were strongly significative correlations (P < 0.001), positive between HAM-D scores, CAT scores, number of exacerbation in the last year and hospital length of stay and negative between HAM-D scores and FEV1 values. Furthermore, females were more depressed, with lower FEV 1 (P = 0.043) and with a longer length of stay (P = 0.039) as compared to males.

A greater severity of depressive symptoms is related to a greater severity of COPD exacerbations, disability associated with it and perceived by the patient, as well as a higher number of recovery days and annual acute exacerbations, particularly in female gender.

Although the available evidence strongly supports an association between depression and coronary heart disease (CHD), the possible biological link between these two conditions still remains to be clarified. The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is the main endogenous system mediating the stress response and changes in cortisol secretion have been associated with depressed mood in patients with CHD. Therefore, the study of the correlation between cortisol levels and depressed mood in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients could help to clarify the nature of the relationship between ACS and the risk to develop a depressive syndrome.

We aimed to explore the relationships between HPA axis activity and depressed mood in ACS patients.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the cortisol awakening response (CAR) is associated and/or predict depressive symptoms in patients with an ACS.

Patients admitted to an ACS ward were asked to fill in the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and to collect saliva samples in the morning to measure their CAR. All the procedures were carried out within 1 week after an ACS. Patients were asked again to fill in the BDI six months after their ACS.

A lower CAR was associated with higher BDI scores after 6 months from an ACS.

Our preliminary results suggest that hypoactivity of the HPA axis in the first week of an ACS may predict more severe depressive symptoms after 6 months from the ACS.

The difficulties in the clinical antidepressant treatment lead to the pursuing of more effective methods such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Mixed findings from DLPFC targeted TMS result in the exploration of optimal stimulation location. Disturbed function of obitofrontal cortex (OFC) has been indicated in depression, which is involving in the remission of depression. However, whether it could be a more specific treating target is not tested. Simultaneously, disturbed reward network (RN) has been confirmed in depression, however, whether this could be improved by TMS treatment remains unclear.

Fourteen patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) were allocated in a four-week course of OFC targeted TMS. Motivated by the literature, before and after the treatment, the function connectivity of RN with the seed of ventral striatum was conducted. The results were also compared with the data from 33 healthy controls.

The OFC targeted TMS improved the clinical depression significantly and enhanced the function connectivity within the RN effectively. Specifically, lower baseline dorsolateral striatum connectivity predicted strong therapeutic effect of TMS on depression, while lower baseline insula connectivity predicted weak therapeutic effect on depression.

The findings offer the first experimental evidence of the therapeutic effect of OFC targeted TMS on clinical depression, enhanced function connectivity within RN might be the potential neural mechanism (Fig. 1). Lower dorsolateral striatum connection might be a reliable neural biomarker of strong responding for TMS treatment, which helps to identify the patients who will be cured by TMS most effectively.

Antepartum depression has garnered wide recognition from the scientific community in recent years. This has led to the replacement of the term postpartum with perinatal in the 5th edition of the DSM with regards to pregnancy associated depression. Personality may play a significant role in the susceptibility for developing perinatal depression.

The current research aimed to analyze the role of different facets of personality in mediating the occurrence of both, perinatal depression and perinatal anxiety, in women who gave birth in our region.

A prospective survey was conducted at “Bega” Clinic Timisoara in 118 women being monitored during their antepartum period. Of these, 80 women attended to the second assessment between 6 to 8 weeks of their postpartum period. Postnatal depression was assessed by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale using a cut-off > 13. Personality was assessed by using the NEO-FFI Inventory that is five-factor model based.

The presence of antepartum depression was identified in 28 (23.7%) of pregnant women while postpartum depression was detected in 7 new mothers (8.8%). Among the NEO-FFI Inventory factors only Neuroticism had significant higher mean scores in both antepartum and postpartum depressive women (P = 0.003 and P = 0.016 respectively). There were also significant correlations between Neuroticism and antepartum and postpartum levels of both trait and state anxiety.

In the psychological management and approach of delivering women Neuroticism should be taken into account as a possible mediating factor for both depression and anxiety during their perinatal period.

Personal peculiarities of the individual are the separate significant factor of formation and course of depression that has a predictive value.

Investigation of an emotionally significant attitude of patients to their past, present, future and also depending on the severity of depressive symptoms.

Forty patients with depressive episodes (F 32.0. F 32.1, F 32.2) and 35 persons without mental disorders were examined. An integrated approach was applied using the method of “Semantic time differential”.

Correlation analysis showed that in mild depression patients experienced their present condition changed, it is associated with emotional assessment of the past (r = −0.441) and extrapolated their experiences for the future–feeling doubt about their implementation in the future, including its activity (r = −0.484) and size (r = −0.523). In an moderate degree of depression patients in the present acutely realized that they had depression and from the point of view of this condition perceived their past and future–feeling a structureness and size of the past (r = 0.500) and worrying about the emotional background, structureness and activity of the future (r = −0.500. r = −0.756 and r = −0.500. respectively). In severe depression patients did not associate their condition with the past, realized the presence of depression in the present, and did not expected to improve their emotional conditions in the future (r = −0.432).

The data can be used to assess the dynamics of patient's conditions with depressive episodes as well as to develop an adequate psychotherapy.

Cognitive impairment in patients with depressive disorder is a subject of intensive research.

This study deals with the cognitive impairment in patients with severe depressive episode with psychotic symptoms and patients with major depressive disorder during the acute state of illness.

The aim was to define domains and the level of cognitive impairment in both groups of patients.

The next aim was to compare profiles of cognitive impairment in both groups of patients.

The last aim was to find out a relationship between cognitive performance and severity of depressive episode during the acute state of illness.

We have used neuropsychological test battery (Auditory–Verbal Learning Test, Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test, Logical Memory, Digit span test, Trail making test, Verbal Fluency Test, Block Design and Benton Visual Retention Test) for the evaluation of the cognitive functions in patients with severe depressive episode with psychotic symptoms (n = 5) and patients with major depressive disorder (n = 8).

We found cognitive impairment in all examined domains in both groups of patients.

More profound cognitive impairment was found in patients with severe depressive episode with psychotic symptoms, particularly in visual memory, visuo-constructive abilities, speed of cognitive processing and executive functions. We found no correlation between cognitive performance and severity of depressive episodes.

Our findings suggest a strong correlation between psychotic symptoms in depression and cognitive performance.

Maternal depression is a well-known risk factor for child development. Longitudinal studies extending from pregnancy to adulthood, however, are rare.

The aim of the study was to investigate whether maternal high depressive symptom trajectories (chronic or intermittent depressive symptom patterns) from pregnancy to the adolescence of the children predict lower adaptive functioning or higher levels of emotional or behavioural symptoms in young adults.

The sample comprised 329 first-time mothers from maternity centres in Tampere, Finland. Maternal depressive symptoms were assessed with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) antenatally and at two months, six months, 4–5 years, 8–9 years and 16–17 years after delivery. A model including four symptom trajectories (very low, low-stable, high-stable and intermittent) was selected to describe the symptom patterns over time. Adaptive functioning and problems of the children (n = 144) were assessed by the Adult Self Report forms (Achenbach & Rescorla) at the age of 27 years.

High maternal depressive symptom trajectories did not predict self-reported lower adaptive functioning of the children in adulthood. However, children of mothers with chronic or intermittent depressive symptom patterns reported higher levels of internalising problems as well as symptoms of depression and anxiety in young adulthood than the children of mothers with very low or low stable symptom patterns.

High maternal depressive symptom trajectories predict higher levels of emotional symptoms of children in young adulthood. The mechanisms of intergenerational transmission are important topics for further research.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

To assess the efficacy and tolerability of quetiapine as add-on to antidepressant agents in treatment-resistant late-life major depression.

A group of 15 patients, 8 male and 7 female, mean age 68.2, evaluated in our department for clinical symptoms that made possible a DSM 5 diagnosis of major depressive disorder, were initiated on quetiapine XR, flexible daily dose 50–300 mg QD. All patients were on treatment with an antidepressant–either a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) (n = 10), or venlafaxine (n = 5)–for at least 6 weeks and presented no improvement during current treatment administered at therapeutic doses. Patients were assessed using Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), Clinical Global Impression–Severity (CGI-S), Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), and Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) every 4 weeks for 3 months.

After 12 weeks, patients had a mean improvement in MADRS score of 45.7 ± 2.3%, with a final mean MADRS score of 13.5 (P < 0.01). No variations were registered depending on the specific SSRI or venlafaxine concomitant treatment. Quetiapine XR mean daily dose administered during the study was 125 mg. C-SSRS didn’t registered significant variations in suicidal ideation or behavior throughout the trial. Overall GAF score increased with 22.1 points, and CGI-S decreased with a mean of 1.5 points at week 12 (P < 0.01). Tolerability of add-on quetiapine was very good, no serious adverse event being reported.

Quetiapine was efficient and well tolerated in late-life resistant major depression, as add-on to SSRIs or venlafaxine, during the 12 weeks of the trial.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is often considered an episodic disorder. However, literature might underestimate the chronicity of MDD since results depend on follow-up duration and the extent to which psychiatric co-morbidity is taken into account.

To determine, whether MDD should be considered an episodic or chronic disorder.

To examine the 6 year course of MDD, incorporating data of multiple time points and taking common psychiatric comorbidities into account.

Data were from 903 patients with current MDD at baseline in the Netherlands study of depression and anxiety, with subsequent data from 2 year, 4 year and 6 year follow-up. Four course trajectories were created taking all information during follow-up into account classifying patients as (1) recovered, (2) recurrent without chronic episodes, (3) recurrent with chronic episodes or (4) consistently chronic. A chronic episode was defined as having symptoms consistently over 2 years.

The recovery rate of MDD was 58% at 2 year follow-up but looking at 6 year follow-up and taking into account co-morbid dysthymia, (hypo) mania and anxiety disorders reduced this recovery rate to 17%. Moreover, more than half of the patients experienced chronic episodes.

Longitudinal data of this psychiatric cohort study showed that full recovery is the exception rather than the rule. MDD follows a chronic course and, moreover, persons are prone to switch to other psychiatric disorders.

NaSSA antidepressant mirtazapine and SARI trazodone has proven efficacy on MDD.

To compare differences in mirtazapine and trazodone efficacy on MDD in different age and sex groups.

A consecutive sample of 60 MDD outpatients were randomized to mirtazapine 30 mg/day or trazodone 150 mg/day for a 3 months stable dosing period at the department of biological psychiatry and psychogeriatrics of the university psychiatric hospital Vrapče, Croatia. Outcome was relative lowering of HAMD-17 scale result. The study was single blind: rater was blinded, while patients informed regarding prescribed medication.

Overall efficacy of mirtazapine and trazodone was comparable (84% lowering of HAMD–17 in both cases; difference P = 0.754). After adjustment for MDD baseline severity (CGI–S), education, marital and working status, interaction of age and sex significantly moderated two drugs’ efficacies. In patients older than 47 years, in male patients trazodone was significantly more effective, and in female patients significantly less effective than mirtazapine. This effect was increasing by aging.

Mirtazapine and trazodone efficacy on MDD is moderated by patients’ age and sex.

The evaluation of response to pharmacological treatment in MDD requires 6–8 weeks. Therefore, the ability to predict response, and especially lack of response to treatment, as early as possible after treatment onset or change, is of major significance. Many studies demonstrated significant results regarding the ability to use EEG and ERP markers. However, these markers are derived from long EEG/ERP samples, often from multiple channels, which render them impractical for frequent sampling.

We developed a new electrophysiological attention-related marker from a single channel (2 electrodes) and 1 minute samples. This work presents an initial evaluation of the ability to harness this marker, for early differentiation between responders and non-responders to anti-depressive treatment, in 26 patients with various levels of depression and heterogeneous treatment interventions and 10 healthy controls. Subjects who initiated treatment for depression were followed clinically through their Hamilton depression scores as well as their EEG activity twice a week for a period of 8 weeks. Any acceptable anti-depressive treatment been included. The improvement in Hamilton scores at the end of 8 weeks used to discriminate responders and non-responders.

Within two weeks, we could differentiate between non-responders and responders to anti-depressive treatment, with absolute discrimination between subjects with moderate to severe depression, and with 0.71 sensitivity and 0.96 specificity within the whole depressed subjects.

This is a proof of concept for an easy to use, cheap and quick marker for the lack of respond to anti-depressive treatment within two weeks of anti-depressive treatment.