Are there any risks and benefits in taking part?
There have been no serious effects reported from being given the low dose infusion of citalopram or having a scan. You may find the drug unpleasant if you get side effects and some people find the scanner claustrophobic. To minimise the chance of any problems we will check your health thoroughly before you take part. If you have suffered from claustrophobia or a phobia of needles let the investigators know beforehand. You can stop the procedure at any time. There will always be someone medically qualified on hand during the tests. We ask you not to drink alcohol for 24 hours before each test. We will make sure that you feel back to normal before you are allowed to go home and we will arrange for transport if needed.
Having a blood test and a cannula in the arm can be a little painful when it is put in and it is possible you could get a bruise. Although we don’t expect any ongoing effects from the drugs we will ask you not to drive home after the study and not to do anything dangerous or that requires your full attention for the rest of the day in case of possible tiredness.
When citalopram is given as a treatment for depression a minority of people do suffer adverse effects. For more details, see: What is citalopram?
Notifying your GP
We ask you to agree that we notify your GP of your participation in the study, so we will need his or her name, and the address of the surgery. If any brain abnormality is detected we will inform you and your GP. Also if there is any other information we find out during the study that has important consequences, such as for your health, we will inform you and ask your permission to pass this on to your GP. If you don’t wish us to do so we will do our utmost to respect your wishes and we will abide by the rules on confidentiality set out by the General Medical Council.
For people who are not depressed there are no other direct health benefits for you in taking part in this study but the knowledge we gain from the study will increase our understanding of the cause and treatment of depression. In the long-term, this knowledge will lead to better treatments and will benefit people suffering from depression in the future.
For people who are depressed you will benefit from a full assessment of your mood followed by carefully supervised antidepressant treatment which can increase your chances of recovery from depression. In addition, after the study, we will give you advice and help you to get the any further treatment if you need it.
