Depression

Why study depression?

Major depression affects close to 2,000,000 Canadians annually and is the leading cause of time lost from work, more than cancer or heart disease. Depression is a risk factor for suicide, which in responsible for more than 3500 deaths annually in Canada.

Depression can affect anyone, regardless of their age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Many depression treatments exist, but there are no specific ways to match a treatment—medication, psychotherapy, or other treatment—to a person except through trial and error. As a result, it can be a long and difficult process to find the treatment for the right patient.

CAN-BIND: The Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression

The Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression (CAN-BIND) is a national program of research and learning. The CAN-BIND community includes persons with lived experience, caregivers, researchers, healthcare providers, government agencies, industry partners, and mental health advocates who are working together to achieve mental wellness for all Canadians. CAN-BIND is discovering ways to identify the right treatment for the right person in order to help individuals with depression get well quickly, and stay well.

CAN-BIND’s mission is to deliver fast and effective care to all Canadians living with depression. Through collaboration, research innovation and systems-oriented thinking, we seek to discover treatment strategies guided by each individual’s comprehensive history and pathway to depression.
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CAN-BIND: The Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression

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Shedding New Light on Depression Treatments – Helping People Get Well Sooner

A surprising aquatic accomplice—the fluorescent zebrafish—is offering new hope for the nearly two million Canadians who struggle with major depression. Major depression affects close to 2,000,000 Canadians. It is the leading cause of time lost from work, more than cancer or heart disease, and is a leading risk factor for suicide.

Currently, it can be a difficult and frustrating exercise to match the right depression treatment to the right patient. The Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression (CAN-BIND), OBI’s depression research program, is dedicated to improving and accelerating the testing process for new treatments and matching an appropriate treatment to a patient who needs it more quickly.

The CHOICE–D Patient And Family Guide To Depression Treatment

The CHOICE-D Guide aims to help individuals understand the evidence-based treatments that are available for managing depression. The guide includes information about medications, psychological treatments, brain stimulation treatments and complementary & alternative treatments.

This resource was created in partnership with people with lived experience of depression. All information was adapted from the CANMAT 2016 Clinical Guidelines for the Management of Adults with Major Depressive Disorder, which were published in the Journal of Psychiatry in 2016.

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The Impact of Our Work

Shedding New Light on Depression Treatments – Helping People Get Well Sooner

A surprising aquatic accomplice—the fluorescent zebrafish—is offering new hope for the nearly two million Canadians who struggle with major depression. Major depression affects close to 2,000,000 Canadians. It is the leading cause of time lost from work, more than cancer or heart disease, and is a leading risk factor for suicide.

Currently, it can be a difficult and frustrating exercise to match the right depression treatment to the right patient. The Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression (CAN-BIND), OBI’s depression research program, is dedicated to improving and accelerating the testing process for new treatments and matching an appropriate treatment to a patient who needs it more quickly.