Center for Treatment of Major Depressive Disorders – UPMC Salvator Mundi International Hospital

UPMC Salvator Mundi International Hospital has a center dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of depressive disorders and their effects on the mental and physical health and well-being.

Depression

Around 20-30% of the population experiences episodes of depression at least once in their life. Depressive disorders have a wide range of clinical manifestations and severity. They can be associated with several symptoms, including:

• Circadian abnormalities and sleep disorders.
• Cognitive and attention deficits.
• Fibromyalgia.
• Gastrointestinal and cardiovascular problems.
• Generalized inflammatory condition.
• Metabolic and neuroendocrine imbalances.

In addition, depression is often associated with other conditions, such as mental and cognitive problems related to brain aging, bipolar disorders, stress-related disorders, and anxiety disorders.

Depression and response to treatments can vary considerably between individuals. Therefore, a personalized diagnostic and therapeutic approach is essential, based on the collaboration between specialists from different disciplines and on the integration of different treatment methods.

Depressive disorders treated at our center

• Depressive disorders in the scope of various forms of bipolar disorder.
• Depressive disorders associated with chronic stress conditions.
• Depressive disorders associated with sleep-wake cycle alterations.
• Depressive disorders associated with somatic and neurological diseases.
• Seasonal affective disorder.
• Substance/drug-induced depressive disorders.
• Unipolar depressive disorders (major depression, dysthymia).

Our diagnostic and therapeutic approach

Given the complexity and variety of depressive disorders, our center offers a multidisciplinary and personalized approach based on the specific needs of each person:

• Psychiatric consult.
• Psychodiagnostic assessment of the general psychopathological status and chronobiological and neurocognitive profile.
• Laboratory tests (e.g., HPA axis function, thyroid tests, neurotrophic factors, underlying inflammatory state).
• Other specialist consults as required (e.g., neurology, cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, rheumatology, nephrology, urology).
• Other diagnostic investigations (e.g., CT, MRI, sleep study).
• Personalized therapeutic protocol: drug therapy (e.g., antidepressants, anxiolytics, lithium, mood stabilizers, sleep regulators), phototherapy, endocrine and nutraceutical integration, chronotherapy protocols, psychotherapy.
• Follow-up with the psychiatrist and other specialists involved in the care process.

Different care settings are available to patients, based on their needs and on the assessments carried out by our specialists:

• Outpatient
• Day Hospital
• Outpatient admission

The Center for Treatment of Major Depressive Disorders contact person is Prof. Giuseppe Bersani, specialist in psychiatry, clinical criminology, forensic psychiatry.