Welcome to the July edition of the National Network of Depression Centers Newsletter!

We hope your summer has started off well and you're inspired to take some time to relax this season! In this month's newsletter, we're thrilled to bring you information on three upcoming events, some fantastic resources, interesting content we're following and more!

Registration is rolling for the 2024 NNDC Annual Conference this September in Salt Lake City, UT! We're excited to bring you the 16th annual event in partnership with this year's co-host, University of Utah Huntsman Mental Health Institute!

We would also like to remind you that now's the time to register for the NNDC Best Practices for Mood Disorders Conference co-hosted with Mayo Clinic.

Thank you for being a valued member and follower of the National Network of Depression Centers. Let's make this month one of growth, resilience, and above all, kindness toward ourselves and one another.

Our Summer Self-Care Favorites

Summer is a great time to think about self-care. With long sunny days and warmer weather, there are more opportunities than ever to switch up your routine and enjoy what the season has to offer. Use this self-care checklist from our friends at the National Council for Mental Wellbeing to get some ideas for taking care of yourself this summer. We hope these suggestions will help you get moving, get outside and enjoy the sunshine!

Join us for the NNDC Annual Conference!

This year's theme is "Bridging Science, Technology and Compassion: Innovations in Mental Health Care," and emphasizes the dual importance of scientific advancements and compassionate care in the field of mental health. Attendees will note the agenda aims to explore how innovations in research, technology, and treatment approaches can be harnessed to enhance patient outcomes while maintaining a focus on empathy and understanding.

With co-host University of Utah Huntsman Mental Health Institute

September 11-12, 2024 | Cleone Peterson Eccles Alumni House | Salt Lake City, Utah

The Power of Nature: Thoughts and Practices from Harvard's McLean Hospital

Nature has many special gifts that can enhance our mental well-being. Spending time outdoors can make us feel happier and healthier and positively change our neurochemistry. Nature gives us a sense that we are part of something greater than ourselves. It can get us out of our own heads.

Because time in the outdoors offers the benefit of mental rest and rejuvenation, it has been shown to improve memory, attention, impulse control, and creativity in the general population. For example, in children, it has led to improved school performance.

It is not surprising that time spent in nature can improve our mental health. Read more from Harvard's McLean Health on:

• How time in nature promotes mental health
• How natural environments change our neurochemistry
• Why ecotherapy is gaining traction

Read more here.

Congratulations to the NNDC’s 2024 ACNP Advocacy Affiliate Awardees!:

As an ACNP Advocacy Affiliate, the NNDC receives invitations to the ACNP Annual Meeting. This year, the NNDC Executive Committee has selected two junior faculty members from NNDC sites for the opportunity to represent the NNDC at the meeting this December.

We are thrilled to announce the following individuals were selected based on their contributions:

• Francisco Romo-Nava, MD, PhD, Associate Chief Research Officer, Lindner Center of HOPE
• Andrew Novick, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Psychiatry-Other CI Services, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

The 63nd Annual ACNP Meeting will take place December 9-11, 2024 at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa in Phoenix, Arizona.

August 7: University of Michigan Eisenberg Family Depression Center 5th Annual Workplace Mental Health Conference

A Comprehensive Approach to Worker Well-Being

The modern-day workplace has evolved to place well-being front and center. Increasingly, employers are finding that creating a supportive culture improves organizational morale, lowers costs and increases productivity.

Join the University of Michigan Eisenberg Family Depression Center for the fifth annual Workplace Mental Health Conference where we will explore innovative and model programs and evidence-based practices that show current trends in workplace mental health. The lineup of speakers will show you ways to address stressors inside and outside of the workplace to improve employee mental health.

Conference Details

Date: Wednesday, August 7

Time: 12:30 p.m. EST

Location: Virtual

NNDC Best Practices for Mood Disorders in Collaboration with Mayo Clinic 2024

The NNDC Best Practices for Mood Disorders Conference, in collaboration with Mayo Clinic, is aimed at providing clinically relevant updates for the management of mood disorders & associated comorbidities across the lifespan. Topics include updates and clinical pearls on treatment resistant depression and bipolar disorder, new & novel treatments for depression, and when to refer for ketamine, TMS, ECT and psychedelic therapy. The NNDC faculty are active clinicians [psychiatrists, child psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, and advanced practice providers (APRN, CNP, DNP, PA-C)], informed by new research, and committed to meet the mission of NNDC – to use the power of our network to advance scientific discovery, and to provide stigma-free, evidence-based care to patients with depressive and bipolar illnesses.

The course format is a rich clinical educational environment of engaging lectures of science and stories - case-based learning within the context of existing and emerging new research. Breakout seminars will be interactive and emphasize collaborative learning. Attendees will be able to engage with faculty and other learners as they share opportunities and challenges in their practices.

We are excited to offer both in-person and livestream options for this event! Learn more and register below with the recently announced agenda!

Who should attend?

This course is designed for the many disciplines and providers including psychiatrists and primary care providers, psychologists, advanced practice providers, nursing, pharmacists and other licensed mental health providers.

Locations + Attendee Options

The 2024 NNDC Best Practices for Mood Disorders in collaboration with Mayo Clinic is available in both in-person (live) or virtual (livestream) options. The live event will be held at the Swissotel, 323 E Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60601.



Accreditation Information

The NNDC Best Practices for Mood Disorders offers the following accreditation:

• 13.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
• 13.75 ANCC
• 13.75 APA
• 13.75 Attendance

Materials + Registration

Registration Open for the NNDC Annual Conference in Salt Lake City, UT Sept. 11-12!

The National Network of Depression Centers (NNDC) is hosting its sixteenth annual conference from September 11-12, 2024 at the Cleone Peterson Eccles Alumni House in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The conference will feature the signature blend of biological, psycho-social and systems-level programming that sets the NNDC Annual Conference apart from other conferences and events.

Join us for a dynamic set of discussions, lectures, collaboration, presentations and more! In between rigorous academic courses, the event will offer plenty of networking opportunities with NNDC members across the nation, as well as time to connect with this year’s host, the University of Utah Huntsman Mental Health Institute!

NNDC Annual Conference Links

The Great Outdoors: The Mental Health Benefits of Getting Outside

Mental Health America reminds us that spending time in nature is linked to many positive mental health outcomes – improved focus, lower stress, better mood, and reduced risk of developing a mental health condition. Most studies on nature and well-being look at green spaces like parks and forests, but researchers are also beginning to look at blue spaces – places with ocean and river views. However, you don’t need a picture-perfect outdoor experience to get the benefits of nature.

Seventy percent of respondents to a Mental Health America Connection Survey reported wishing they had more time outdoors, ideally in nature away from their neighborhoods. Cities often have more stressors to physical and mental health, but green space (like parks and gardens) can reduce their impact. Even spending some time in your backyard (if you have one) can produce positive outcomes, and feeling connected to nature helps your mood even if you don’t spend time outdoors.

Read more here.

Two Podcasts on Breaking Generational Cycles

We Can Do Hard Things: Breaking Generational Cycles: Embodiment & Healing Trauma with Prentis Hemphill

Glennon and Abby welcome Prentis Hemphill, a writer, embodiment facilitator, political organizer, and therapist. They discuss individual and collective healing through embodiment. The conversation spans the concepts of embodiment, cycle breaking within families and generational healing and how to get back into a healthier relationship with yourself and others.

Listen on Apple Podcasts

The Mel Robbins Podcast: You Learn This Too Late: This One Idea Might Change Your Entire Life with Dr. Shefali

This episode is a wake-up call. By the time you finish listening, you’ll have an entirely different approach to how you think about life. This is one of the most profound and insightful episodes of all time on The Mel Robbins Podcast. Joining Mel today is the renowned clinical psychologist and spiritual teacher, Dr. Shefali.

This conversation strikes deep into the core of what it means to be alive and the mistakes that you are likely to make in every relationship you have. It is an invitation for you to really consider your own experience and how your parent-child relationship impacted you, including how you show up in your day-to-day life and how you do (or will) show up as a parent. Dr. Shefali will help you break cycles and reparent yourself. She’ll give you the steps to find your authentic self and maybe even have a spiritual awakening. You’ll learn the BEST advice for raising kids (and supporting adult children) that Mel has ever heard.

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Experts Endorse MDMA-assisted Therapy for PTSD

Expert clinicians, including two NNDC members, endorse MDMA-assisted therapy on the basis of safety and efficacy data in July 2024 position paper.

We face a severe global mental health crisis, including an estimated 13 million Americans who are suffering from PTSD. Current therapies for PTSD fail to achieve remission in over half of patients who are treated. U.S. military veterans are taking their lives at an average rate of more than 17 per day. The need for a more effective therapy for PTSD is urgent.

Although concerns have been raised about functional unblinding and expectancy effects in the phase 3 trials, these are common issues with testing psychoactive medications. We believe that these concerns do not rise to a level that would call the main clinical trial findings into question. In their assessment, the findings provide ample evidence of the efficacy of midomafetamine-assisted therapy for PTSD.

Read the full position statement here.