Combination Lexapro and Massage for Treatment of Depression in Older Adults
Status:
Terminated
Trial end date:
2010-02-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Depression is a common and disabling condition which represents a substantial public health
concern, especially with the aging of the population in general. In fact, one to four percent
of the older population has major depression. Although medication is the main treatment for
depression, studies show that only 50% of patients show a significant response to treatment.
The response might actually be less in older subjects, and with more adverse side effects due
to changes in the metabolism of the older population as well as drug interaction. For these
reasons (changes in metabolism and possible drug interactions) the starting dose of the
antidepressant Lexapro will be 5mg, instead of 10mg.
To combat the incomplete response to medication, many combined and augmentation strategies
have been developed. Examples of this would be an antidepressant medication plus a
neuroleptic medication; or an antidepressant medication plus talk therapy. One non-medication
treatment that is being considered is massage therapy. Recent data suggest that massage
therapy can be useful for the treatment of depression.
This study proposes to perform a controlled trail to assess the effects of massage therapy on
symptoms of depression in older subjects with major depression. All of the subjects will
receive Lexapro, which is an FDA approved medication for the treatment of depression. Half of
the subjects will receive Swedish massage for one hour, twice a week, and the other half will
receive light touch for one hour, twice per week for eight weeks. Standardized rating scales
that evaluate depression will be used to evaluate the subjects mood.