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Initial data appear to indicate that memantine decreases NPI scores and may have a role in managing BPSD. However, there are a number of limitations with the current data; the effect size was relatively small, and whether memantine produces significant clinical benefit is not clear.

Identifying factors that promote sustained implementation of evidence-based treatments (EBTs) after therapists receive training is critical for professional psychology. To address the field's minimal knowledge in this area, we interviewed community-based therapists (N = 23) who had completed intensive training in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for either anxiety or depression as part of a randomized effectiveness trial (Southam-Gerow et al., 2010; Weisz et al., 2009). Therapists were interviewed three to five years after completion of the initial trial, representing one of the longest-term follow-ups of therapist practices after training. Therapists viewed each protocol and their individual CBT strategies as effective and appropriate for the majority of their current anxiety and depression caseloads. However, therapists used parts of each protocol much more frequently than the protocol as a whole (i.e., 78.5% used parts of the Coping Cat, and 7.5% used the whole protocol; 58.6% used parts of the PASCET, and 20% used the whole protocol). Therapists reported using problem-solving the most and exposure exercises the least for current anxious cases; they used cognitive restructuring the most and homework the least for current depression cases. Interventions that were more difficult to implement in usual care settings were less likely to be sustained. Future efforts should evaluate the characteristics and structure of EBTs that are most acceptable to therapists and should investigate which kinds of ongoing learning supports will maintain therapist skills in and continued use of EBTs.

Depression is one of the most prevalent, disabling, and costly mental health conditions in the United States. One promising avenue for preventing depression and informing its clinical treatment lies in uncovering both the genetic and environmental determinants of the disorder as well as their interaction (i.e. gene-environment intervention; GxE). The overarching goal of this review paper is to translate recent findings from studies of genetic association and GxE related to depression, particularly for readers without in-depth knowledge of genetics or genetic methods. This review is organized into three major sections. In the first section, we summarize what is currently known about the genetic determinants of depression, focusing on findings from genome-wide association studies (GWAS). In the second section, we review findings from studies of GxE, which seek to simultaneously examine the role of genes and exposure to specific environments or experiences in the etiology of depression. In the third section, we describe the challenges to genetic discovery in depression and promising strategies for making progress.