Centre for Addiction & Mental Health

Psychiatrists and mental health professionals have a new standard for managing major depression, thanks to refreshed clinical guidelines. Psychiatrists and mental health professionals have a new standard for managing major depression, thanks to refreshed clinical guidelines published today by the Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT). The CANMAT guidelines are the most widely used clinical guidelines for depression in the world. The new version integrates the latest scientific evidence and advances in depression care since the previous guidelines were published in 2016. The update was led by researchers at the University of B.C. and the University of Toronto, alongside a national working group of more than 40 academic clinical experts and patient partners. "These recommendations not only represent the evidence and broad consensus of leading experts in depression research and care, but, importantly, they also reflect the perspectives of patients with lived experience," says co-lead author Dr. Raymond Lam, professor of psychiatry at UBC and co-director of the Mood Disorders Centre at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health. "Our hope is that this update will empower clinicians with the latest recommendations that can help achieve better outcomes and improved quality of life for the millions of people affected by depression." More than one in 10 Canadians will experience depression at some point in their lives, making it one of the largest public health burdens in Canada. However, it is estimated that only 20 per cent of people receive adequate treatment. The updated guidelines cover eight primary topic areas that map the patient care journey, from assessment and diagnosis through to the selection of treatments and strategies to prevent recurrence. The question-and-answer format is designed to be practical, accessible and easy for clinicians to use. To develop the refreshed guidelines, the working group conducted a comprehensive literature review of new scientific evidence published since the previous 2016 guidelines. Drafts were revised based on review by patient partners, expert peer review and a defined expert consensus process. The resulting recommendations are organized by lines of treatment based on the level of evidence supporting each therapy and factors such as safety, tolerability and feasibility. Guidance is provided to aid healthcare professionals in choosing the right treatment option with an emphasis on collaborative decision-making. "Depression is a complex and highly individualized condition," says Dr. Lam. "The guidelines highlight the importance of collaborating with patients in care decisions and providing a personalized treatment approach that carefully considers a person's needs, preferences and treatment history." The guidelines underline the strong evidence base for well-established first-line treatments, including a number of medications, as well as psychological treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy, interpersonal therapy and behavioural activation. Based on recent evidence, a number of new psychological and pharmacological treatments were added to the list of treatment options. "Notable additions to the new guidelines are a strong emphasis on patient participation in choosing treatment, applying outcome measures throughout care, and an overview of digital mental health tools in the management of depression," says co-lead author Dr. Sidney Kennedy, professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto and director of the Centre for Depression and Suicide Studies at Unity Health Toronto. The guidelines include further direction on how healthcare professionals can incorporate lifestyle interventions, such as exercise, nutrition and sleep hygiene. They also explore when neuromodulation treatments should be considered and what should be done when a patient doesn't respond to initial treatments or develops treatment-resistant depression. "Many well-established psychological and behavioural interventions have accumulated more support for their efficacy across different delivery formats," says co-author Dr. Lena Quilty, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto and senior scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. "We are especially pleased to report on evidence for new interventions that target depression as well as commonly co-occurring challenges such as anxiety or disrupted cognitive processes. We hope that these additional alternatives provide more opportunities for integrated attention to these multi-faceted issues." CANMAT is a network of academic and clinical experts dedicated to improving clinical care for people with mood and anxiety disorders. The new depression guidelines were published today in The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. The researchers will be releasing updated versions of the CANMAT Pocket Guide to Depression for clinicians and the CHOICE-D Patient and Family Guide to Depression Treatment.

New report is the largest psychological intervention trial for patients after bariatric surgeryTORONTO, Aug. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New research looking at the mental health and eating behaviours of patients 1-year after bariatric surgery has found that a short, 7-session telephone cognitive behavioural therapy (Tele-CBT) intervention is helpful in reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety, binge eating and emotional eating. This is according to a paper entitled Efficacy of Telephone-Based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Weight Loss, Disordered Eating and Psychological Distress After Bariatric Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial published today in JAMA Network Open by a national research team including members from Obesity Canada. This team, led by researchers out of the University Health Network (UHN), Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), and Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), recruited 306 patients across three bariatric surgery programs in Ontario – the UHN Bariatric Centre of Excellence, the Humber River Hospital Bariatric Surgery Program, and the Ottawa Hospital Bariatric Centre of Excellence. Approximately half of these patients received the Tele-CBT intervention 1-year after bariatric surgery, while the other half of patients received standard follow-up care provided by their respective hospital sites. These patients were followed up to a year and a half after surgery to see whether the Tele-CBT intervention helped to improve mood and eating behaviours commonly experienced by patients at this critical timepoint post-surgery. The researchers found that compared to the standard care group, those who received the Tele-CBT intervention had significantly reduced depression and anxiety symptoms and reported significantly less binge eating and emotional eating symptoms. Moreover, these improvements were not only seen immediately after the Tele-CBT intervention, but were sustained when patients were followed up three months after the intervention as well. “This is the largest CBT/psychological intervention trial for patients after bariatric surgery, which is an evidence-based obesity treatment,” said Dr. Sanjeev Sockalingam, the paper’s senior author, Psychosocial Director of the UHN Bariatric Centre of Excellence, Senior Scientist at the CAMH, and Scientific Director at Obesity Canada. “This study also supports the effectiveness of CBT delivered by telephone and is timely, given the growth of virtual care during the pandemic.” These results provide more conclusive data and build on smaller studies, also done by this research team, that showed short term improvements in disordered eating, depression, and anxiety in patients after bariatric surgery. The current study also looked at whether the Tele-CBT intervention helped to improve weight loss outcomes, although no differences were found between patients’ weights in the two groups. According to Dr. Cassin, a co-lead on this study, “there are a few potential reasons why no changes in weight were observed, including that the follow-up period may have been too short, the intervention did not focus on calorie restriction, and the post-surgery model of care received from the standard care group may have provided enough support to diminish weight loss outcome differences between groups”. Nonetheless, this research shows that CBT and psychological interventions are an important part of psychological aftercare in obesity treatment. Results from this research provide data to support the widespread use of CBT to support patients with difficulties after bariatric surgery. The research team is continuing to update their findings as data collection for this study is still in progress. The researchers will be following these patients up to 3-years post-surgery to determine whether the improvements in mood and disordered eating are maintained over time, and whether they lead to better weight outcomes long term. This research is important and clearly demonstrates the positive impact of CBT delivered by telephone is both remarkable and timely, especially in the context of virtual care expansion. This research further supports the Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines in identifying CBT and psychological interventions as an evidence-based treatment option for individuals living with obesity. About Obesity Canada: Obesity Canada-Obésité Canada, established in 2006 is Canada’s only obesity registered charity dedicated to improving the lives of Canadians living with obesity through research, education, and advocacy. Obesity Canada co-developed the Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines in 2020, which are now recognized as a global gold standard evidence-based guideline. Obesity Canada’s vision is a day when people affected by the disease of obesity are understood, respected, and living healthy lives.

GENOA, Italy--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- IAMA Therapeutics, a preclinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel medicines to make a difference in the lives of children affected by brain disorders, today announced the addition of Paul Frohna M.D., Ph.D., PharmD, Pierandrea Muglia, M.D. and Elaine Wirrell, M.D., to its Scientific Advisory Board. “We are pleased and honored to welcome Dr. Frohna, Dr. Muglia and Dr. Wirrell to our SAB, where they’ll be joining a distinguished group of scientific thought leaders and industry experts committed to the development of innovative medicines for neurological conditions, including epilepsies and autism,” said Andrea P. Malizia, Ph.D., MBA, Chief Executive Officer at IAMA Therapeutics. “Dr. Frohna has extensive experience guiding companies in bringing medicines into and through clinical studies, Dr. Muglia has diverse experience across both the business and R&D sides of the biotech industry and Dr. Wirrell brings deep expertise in pediatric neurological conditions. We’re excited to have them on board as we seek to advance our multi-program pipeline of drug candidates and make a meaningful impact in the lives of children with brain disorders.” Paul Frohna, M.D., Ph.D., PharmD – Chief Medical Officer and Head of Research and Development at ImCheck Therapeutics Dr. Frohna is the Chief Medical Officer and Head of Research and Development at ImCheck Therapeutics. Before joining ImCheck, Dr. Frohna was Chief Medical Officer at Bioniz Therapeutics, where he led clinical and regulatory affairs functions and was responsible for the operational oversight of the Company’s clinical programs in T-cell leukemia and lymphoma and autoimmune diseases. Before this role, Dr. Frohna was the Vice President of Clinical Development and Translational Medicine at Receptos Inc. Prior to Receptos, he served as the Chief Medical Officer of ProFibrix, Inc. and previously held senior clinical development positions at Fibrogen and Genentech. He is an independent director on the board of Accure Therapeutics, a Barcelona-based, clinical-stage private biotech developing first-in-class neurotherapeutics. Dr. Frohna received his pharmacy degree from the University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy, his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and his M.D. from Georgetown University School of Medicine. Pierandrea Muglia, M.D. – CNS Early Clinical Development Executive and Entrepreneur Dr. Muglia has held numerous leadership and entrepreneurial roles across large and medium-size pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Most recently, Dr. Muglia served as Vice President and Head of Neurology Early Clinical Development at UCB Pharma, where he contributed to shaping the neurology strategy and pipeline organically and inorganically through assets and company acquisitions. Previously, Dr. Muglia served as CMO at Handl Therapeutics and was President and Founder of GRIN Therapeutics, a clinical stage company focused on developing a small molecule for a genetically defined orphan epilepsy syndrome. During his tenure with Academic Clinicians, prior to his biopharma career, Dr. Muglia served residence roles at the San Francisco Department of Public Health Child Psychiatry Services, was a Post-Doc MRC-Canada Fellow and Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto. Dr Muglia has over 100 publications in the field of neuropsychopharmacology, drug development, and human genetics in high impact journals and he is part of scientific advisory board and committees of not-for-profit initiatives and orphan disease patient advocacy associations. Dr. Muglia has advisory roles in several biotech companies developing novel therapeutics for CNS disorders, and is a Board member of Saniona AB, a Scandinavian public company active in developing new treatments for CNS indications. Elaine Wirrell, M.D. - Director of Pediatric Epilepsy and Professor of Neurology at the Mayo Clinic Dr. Elaine Wirrell is the Chair and Professor of Child Neurology and Program Director of Child and Adolescent Neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She completed medical school at the University of British Columbia and her Pediatric Neurology training at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Dr. Wirrell is the past Co-chair of the Nosology and Status Epilepticus Task Force and a member of the Pediatrics Task Force of the International League Against Epilepsy. She serves as the Co-Editor-in-Chief of Epilepsy.com and is on the Medical Advisory Board for the Dravet Syndrome Foundation and the Lennox-Gastaut Foundation. Dr. Wirrell’s main research interests are early onset, medically intractable epilepsies, including developmental and epileptic encephalopathies, and epidemiology and comorbidities of pediatric epilepsy. She is the recipient of the 2021 Kiffin-Penry Award from the American Epilepsy Society and the 2016 Distinguished Clinician Award from the Mayo Clinic. About IAMA Therapeutics IAMA Therapeutics pushes the boundaries of neuroscience drug discovery to develop new therapeutic opportunities and make a difference in children affected by epilepsy, neurodevelopmental and cognitive disorders. IAMA Therapeutics is developing IAMA-6 for potentially treating drug-resistant epilepsies and rare syndromic forms of autism, in addition to chloride modulators targeting neuropsychiatric conditions characterized by cognitive impairment. For more information, please visit