Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has been awarded $2.6 million to study depression in patients with advanced heart failure.

The Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute, a federally sponsored nonprofit based in Washington D.C., supported the Beverly Grove hospital study of personalized treatments for depression in heart failure patients.

“Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide,” said Dr. Waguih William IsHak, leader of the study a professor of psychiatry and vice chairman for education and research at the Beverly Grove Hospital, in a statement.

“Depressive symptoms produce worse outcomes among the medically ill and are associated with poor quality of life, longer hospital stays and increased mortality rates.”

Depression afflicts nearly half the 26 million adults worldwide who suffer heart failure, according to Cedars-Sinai.

The Cedars-Sinai study announced on May 7 will be performed by the Cedars-Sinai Department of Psychiatry, a national leader in depression research, and the hospital’s Smidt Heart Institute.

It will explore different evidence-based approaches to treating depression, including medication and a psychotherapy that emphasizes enjoyable activities chosen by the patient.

Health business reporter Dana Bartholomew can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @_DanaBart.