Researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center are seeking new ways to improve the treatment of depression. The process of selecting effective therapies for individuals with depression is often unpredictable, according to Jay Fournier, PhD, director of the Mood and Anxiety Program at the medical center.
“By and large, the approach in our field has been trial and error,” said Dr. Fournier. “If something doesn’t work, we try something else. If that doesn’t work, we try something else, then something else.”
Dr. Fournier and his team have established the Depression Recovery Center at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center to address these challenges. Their research focuses on developing better diagnostic methods and identifying more precise treatments for people with depression.
The center’s approach involves collecting a wide range of health data—including information about gut health, sleep patterns, and brain function—to create algorithms that could help determine which treatments may be most effective for each patient.
“We’re trying to move beyond the trial-and-error approach to providing careful assessment to see which treatment is most likely to get them well,” Dr. Fournier said.
This effort aims to change how mental health clinicians identify suitable therapies for patients with depression by relying on a comprehensive assessment rather than a single test or measure.
