Depressed?  Relationship Problems?
Self-Quiz

1. Are you female?
2. Do you suffer with depression?
3. Are you married or in a committed relationship (and have lived with your partner for at least one year)?
4. Are you and your partner experiencing problems or unhappiness in the relationship?

If you answered "yes" to these questions, you may be eligible for a research study on depression.

What kind of study is this?
Depression and relationship/marriage problems often go hand-in-hand. In our research, we are providing treatment and assessing the impact of the treatment on how depressed people feel; as well as the impact of the treatments on happiness with the relationship.

What kind of treatment is it?
All of the women in our study will receive on of four FDA-approved antidepressant medications (Zoloft, Lexapro, Effexor XR or Wellbutrin XL). Which medication you will be on will be decided by yourself and the principal investigator of the study - Wayne Denton, MD, PhD. You will know which medicine you are taking and there are no placebos being used. You will have office visits to monitor the effects of the medicine with Dr. Denton at his office in the American General Tower of the Exchange Park Building at 6363 Forest Park Road, Dallas (near Love Field).

Half of the women in the study will be randomly assigned to also receive couple therapy with their partners. The therapists are all licensed marriage and family therapists. You can either meet with the therapists:

• At our office at 6363 Forest Park Road;
• or in the private offices of our therapists
  • on McKinney Avenue in Dallas
  • on Greenville Avenue in Dallas
  • in Arlington
  • in DeSoto

You won't know beforehand if you will be in the group receiving the couple therapy. That will be determined randomly, like flipping a coin.

What will be involved for me?
Besides participating in the office visits and/or treatment sessions, we will be calling you each month while you are in the study to ask questions about how you are doing to monitor the effects of the treatment. Your partner will need to be willing to participate in these telephone assessments as well as the couple therapy (should you be randomly assigned to that group).

The study is not for you if:

• You have Bipolar Disorder (although contact us about other research being conducted here on Bipolar Disorder).
• If there is physical violence in your relationship.
• If you have an active problem with drugs or alcohol.

If you would like to learn more and/or have an assessment you can either call (214) 648-6945 or email us by clicking here.

Frequently asked questions:

• How long will the treatment last?
  • Six months
• How would I know if I qualify?
  • We would ask you some questions over the phone to see if you might qualify. If so, then we would invite you and your partner to come in for an assessment. At the end of that time, we would be able to tell you for sure if you qualified for the study and you would be given the opportunity to decide if you thought the study was for you or not.
• What if we are not assigned to the couple therapy group, but would like to receive that? Can we receive that treatment at the end of the study?
  • If you were not in the couple therapy group but would like to received that treatment at the end of six months of the study, we are able to offer you that treatment with one of the trainees in our clinic at the conclusion of the study. You would receive the same number of sessions (15) as the couples who received this treatment in the study.
• How often will the medication management office visits be?
  • These will be weekly initially and then will be spaced out depending on how you are doing on the medicine.
• How many couple therapy sessions are there for people who are in that group and how often are they?
  • There are 15 sessions. The first eight sessions are weekly and then you come every other week for the last seven sessions.
• Can I be in other counseling while I am in the study?
  • No. We need for this to be the only treatment you receive during the six months of the study.
• What if I still need more treatment after the study is over?
  • If you need continued treatment, we will work with you to refer you to the appropriate place to continue your treatment.
• What if my partner is a woman?
  • Same-sex female couples are welcome to participate.
• What if my partner is depressed also?
  • You can participate whether your partner is depressed or not. If your partner needs additional treatment, we can help you arrange that.
• Can my partner receive medicine also?
  • Unfortunately, we are not able to provide medicine to partners.
• How are the treatments being paid for?
  • This study is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health.