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 Teens and Depression
Vocabulary
Axon - a fiber-like extension of a neuron that carries electrical messages away from the cell
body and toward other neurons and cells.
Bias – inclination or prejudice for or against one person or group, especially in a way
considered to be unfair.
Blinding – a process where clinical trial researchers and/or participants are not told which
treatment groups patients are assigned to.
Cell Body - contains the neuron’s nucleus where many chemical reactions take place that
keep the neuron alive.
Central Nervous System (CNS) – the part of the nervous system consisting of the brain
and spinal cord.
Children’s Depression Rating Scale (CDRS-R) – a scale, consisting of 17 symptom
areas, that a psychiatrist uses to determine the severity of a person’s depression based on an
interview with the patient.
Clinical Trial – a research study using human volunteers that is designed to assess the safety
and efficacy of medical advances.
Clinical Trial Phase – clinical trials consist of four phases that each have a different purpose
and ask a different research question.
Cognitive Based Therapy (CBT) – a type of therapy that helps people recognize things
that may be contributing to their depression and helps change behaviors making the
depression worse.
Coordinator – medical professional who manages the day-to-day operations of a clinical
trial including recruiting patients, conducting the informed consent process, determining the cost
of the study, ensuring safety of participants, and scheduling patient visits.
Dendrite - an extension of the neuronal cell that receives chemical messages from other
neurons.
Double Blinding – a type of blinding in clinical trials where neither the researcher nor the
participants know which participants are in the experimental group receiving the drug to be
tested and which are in the control group(s) receiving placebo or standard treatment.
Exclusion Criteria – factors that do not allow someone to participate in a clinical trial.
Fluoxetine – a type of antidepressant called a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, which
specifically affects the neurotransmitter serotonin to help regulate mood.
Inclusion Criteria – factors that allow someone to participate in a clinical trial.
M ajor Depressive Disorder (M DD) – a serious form of depression interfering with day-today life. A person can be diagnosed with MDD if they have five or more of the nine symptoms
of depression outlined in the Diagnostics Manual of Mental Health Disorders for over two
weeks, with one of the five symptoms being depressed mood or loss of interest/pleasure.
M ild, Continuous Depression –a person can be diagnosed with mild, continuous
depression if they have two or more of the nine symptoms of depression outlined in the
Diagnostics Manual of Mental Health Disorders for over one year.
Teens and D epression
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1 M yelin Sheath - a fatty material that insulates the axon and allows the messages to travel
faster.
Neuron – a type of cell that processes and transmits information through electrical and
chemical signals; also called nerve cell.
Neurotransmitter – a chemical messenger that allows neurons to communicate with other
neurons and muscle.
Nucleus - structure that contains the cell’s DNA.
Observer bias – occurs when an observer knows the goals of an experiment and looks for
effects that they expect while missing effects that aren’t expected.
Placebo – an inactive substance that has no treatment value. Placebos are designed to look
exactly like the experimental treatment and sometimes given to the control group in a clinical
trial in order to assess the true effect of the experimental treatment.
Placebo Effect – an effect that happens when patients are given a treatment, especially by a
person they trust, and the patients’ belief in the treatment causes them to experience a
response, even if the treatment is inactive. The placebo effect can interfere with determining the
real effects of a treatment.
Principal Investigator (PI) – the lead scientists or medical doctor that is responsible for the
clinical trial. The PI may be the person who conceived the research question being tested or
may be a person selected by a pharmaceutical company to lead the project.
Protocol – the study plan for the clinical trial that serves as a common reference document to
which people running the clinical trial can refer to.
Psychiatrist – medical doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating mental disorders.
Psychiatrists oftentimes specialize in treating specific psychiatric problems and helping certain
age groups
Randomization – a method based on chance by which a clinical trial participant is randomly
selected to get the experimental treatment or a control treatment. The process reduces any bias
that could result from assigning patients to treatment groups.
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) – a type of antidepressant that works by
blocking the reuptake of serotonin by sending neurons, which leads to more serotonin in the
synaptic space that can then bind to serotonin receptors on the receiving neuron.
Serotonin – a neurotransmitter that is responsible for feelings of well being and happiness.
Serotonin specifically helps regulate mood, appetite, and sleep.
Serotonin Neurotransmission– the process of transmitting serotonin from one neuron to
another. The process takes place in four steps: release, receive, transmit, and reuptake.
Serotonin Receptor – a surface protein on receiving neurons that binds serotonin, which
leads to the generation of an electrical signal in the receiving neuron.
Serotonin Transporter – a surface protein on the sending neuron that takes up serotonin
from the synaptic space after the serotonin has been used for neurotransmission.
Side Effects – any undesired effect of a treatment.
Teens and D epression
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Standard Treatment – the current effective treatment normally provided to patients with a
given disease or condition.
Study Arm – a group of participants in a clinical trial who receives a specific treatment.
Synapse – a structure where chemical and electrical signals flow from one neuron to another.
Synaptic Space – the space between the sending and receiving neuron.
Tryptophan – an amino acid used to make serotonin.
Teens and D epression
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