Projects
Scientific Director, Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA). 2004 – present. www.nesda.nl Approximately one out of three people in the Netherlands suffer from depression or anxiety at some time in their lives, with major consequences for their general health and daily functioning.
It is still not clear what makes people susceptible to depression and anxiety disorders, or why the symptoms are transient or chronic. To answer these questions, it is necessary to follow a large cohort of people for a long time in a longitudinal study. The Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA) was initiated for this purpose. 2981 People with and without depression or anxiety symptoms will be monitored for eight years. The researchers will assess not only the psychological functioning of these people but also physical, social and economic aspects. The subjects will be recruited from primary care practices and specialized mental health institutions in several regions in the Netherlands. The research receives funding from the ZonMw Geestkracht program.
NESDA Consortium
The NESDA study is being conducted by a group of academic and non-academic institutions. The Department of Psychiatry of the VU University Medical Center, the University Medical Center of Groningen and the Leiden University Medical Center collaborate with the Trimbos Institute, IQ (Institute for Quality of Health Care, Radboud University Nijmegen) and NIVEL (Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research). Mental health institutions (GGZ inGeest, GGZ Drenthe, Lentis, Arkin, GGZ Friesland and Rivierduinen) and patient organisations are also participants.
Aims
The main aim of NESDA is to study the long-term course of anxiety and depression disorders in order to contribute to the improvement of health care and the prevention of chronicity. Important questions we hope to answer are: What makes people susceptible to depression or anxiety disorders? Why is one person depressed for three months, while the other is depressed for three years? What are the effects of a depression or anxiety disorder on daily functioning?
Within the overall study, there are four distinct objectives:
• To describe the long-term course of anxiety and depression disorders.
• To explain the long-term course of depression and anxiety disorders by examining demographic, psychosocial, physical, biological and genetic determinants, and combinations of these factors.
• To examine the role of specific gene expression profiles and indicators of brain structures (by neuro-imaging) in the long-term course of depression and anxiety disorders.
• To describe the use and evaluation of care by the patient and the effects on the long-term course of depression and anxiety disorders.
For more information, visit our website: www.nesda.nl