OPERA
Research project
OPERA is the Dutch study on Optimal, PERsonalized Antidepressant use.
Over 1 million Dutch persons get an antidepressant medication prescribed, with depression as main indicator. The effectiveness of antidepressants in the treatment of depression is well-established, but the response to antidepressant therapy varies among individuals. To target and personalize antidepressant treatment and improve response rates, it is important to monitor depressive symptoms and identify predictors of treatment response. Furthermore, in the Netherlands over 150.000 people with a depression use antidepressants for more than 1 year. There are many uncertainties concerning the optimal AD discontinuation policy, e.g. if, when and in whom antidepressants can be discontinued.
The first part of OPERA (OPERA-monitor) aims to 1) monitor the course of depression in a naturalistic cohort of adults with depression who recently started with antidepressants and 2) to identify predictors of stable remission. The second part of OPERA studies if, when and in whom antidepressants can be discontinued after stable remission.
This multicenter project started in 2019 and is funded by the ZonMw program Goed Gebruik Geneesmiddelen. OPERA is carried out by a large consortium including the general practice and psychiatry departments of Amsterdam UMC, Leiden UMC, UMC Groningen, Erasmus MC and Radboud UMC, supported by health professionals, pharmacists and patient organizations.
Brenda Penninx is the P.I. of OPERA. Mariska Bot is the local project leader for the department of psychiatry of Amsterdam UMC.
Contact information
Mariska Bot
