Optimized Predictive Treatment In Medications for Unipolar Major Depression (OPTIMUM-D)

Participation Requirements

• Sex:

  ALL

• Eligible Ages:

  18 to 65

Participation Criteria

Patients

Inclusion Criteria:

* Outpatients 18 to 65 years of age.
* Meet DSM-5 criteria for MDE in MDD as determined by SCID-5.
* Free of psychotropic medications for at least 5 half-lives (e.g. 1 week for most antidepressants, 5 weeks for fluoxetine) before baseline Visit 1 (exceptions: stable use of hypnotics; stable use of stimulants for attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder).
* MADRS score ≥ 24.
* Fluency in English, sufficient to complete the interviews and self-report questionnaires.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Any diagnosis, other than MDD, that is considered the primary diagnosis.
* Bipolar I or Bipolar-II diagnosis.
* Presence of a significant Axis II diagnosis (borderline, antisocial).
* High suicidal risk, defined by clinician judgment.
* Substance dependence/abuse in the past 6 months.
* Presence of significant neurological disorders, head trauma, or other unstable medical conditions.
* Pregnant or breastfeeding.
* Failure of 4 or more adequate pharmacologic interventions (as determined by the Antidepressant Treatment History Form).
* Started psychological treatment within the past 3 months with the intent of continuing treatment.
* Patients who have previously failed escitalopram or showed intolerance to escitalopram or brexpiprazole, and patients at risk for hypomanic switch (i.e. with a history of antidepressant induced hypomania).

Healthy Comparison (HC) Participants

Inclusion Criteria:

* 18 to 65 years of age.
* No history of psychiatric disorders (as determined by SCID-5) or significant physical conditions (e.g. arthritis, fibromyalgia).
* Fluency in English, sufficient to complete the interviews and self-report questionnaires.