Evaluation of the HOX11L1 gene as a candidate for congenital disorders of intestinal innervation.
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DNA Mutational Analysis↗
Biomedical subjects
M Fava
Publications and source records attributed to M Fava.
Development of a brief screening instrument: the HANDS.
BACKGROUND: The present study was designed to develop a briefer screening scale of approximately 10 items which maintained the validity of the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale in a sample similar to that attending National Depression Screening Day (NDSD), as well as a more general audience. METHODS: We first administered 70 items from a variety of existing rating scales to 40 subjects who answered an ad for depressed subjects and 55 who answered an ad for non-depressed subjects, all of whose diagnoses were confirmed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID). Based on the correlation between each item and the diagnostic criterion, we reduced the number of items to 17 which we then administered to another 45 subjects who answered an ad similar to that used for NDSD and also underwent a SCID interview. Based on these results, we arrived at the final 10-item Harvard Department of Psychiatry/NDSD scale (HANDS) with the assistance of the item-response theory. The items are scored for frequency of occurrence of each symptom over the past 2 weeks. Total scores range from 0 to 30. RESULTS: The 10-item scale (HANDS) has good internal consistency and validity: a cutpoint score of 9 or greater gave sensitivity of at least 95% in both studies. Although specificity was lower for all scales in the self-selected population, the HANDS performed at least as well as the 20-item Zung Scale, the 21-item Beck Depression Inventory-II and the 15-item Hopkins Symptom Depression Checklist. CONCLUSION: The 10-item HANDS performs as well as other widely used longer self-report scales and has the advantage of briefer administration time.
Adolescent↗
Timing of onset of antidepressant response with fluoxetine treatment.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the time until onset of antidepressant response with fluoxetine treatment. METHOD: The authors evaluated 182 outpatients with major depression who had a sustained acute response to fluoxetine treatment. The outpatients received 8 weeks of treatment with 20 mg/day of fluoxetine and were assessed biweekly with the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. The onset of response was defined as a 30% decrease in score on the Hamilton depression scale that persisted and led to a 50% decrease by week 8. The Kaplan-Meier product limit and Cox regression analysis were used to model the relationship between relevant variables and time until onset of response. RESULTS: The authors found that at weeks 2, 4, and 6, the probabilities of having an onset of response (for responders) were 55.5%, 24.7%, and 9.3%, respectively. The cumulative probabilities of onset of response at each time point were 55.5%, 80.2%, and 89.5%. Neither demographics nor clinical characteristics of depression predicted time until initial response. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that more than half of eventual responders to fluoxetine treatment at 8 weeks start to respond by week 2; over 75% start to respond by week 4. Conversely, the lack of onset of response at 4-6 weeks was associated with about a 73%-88% chance that patients would not have an onset of response by 8 weeks.
Adolescent↗
Strategies for managing depression refractory to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment: a survey of clinicians.
OBJECTIVE: To examine treatment practices in cases where selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are ineffective. METHODS: We surveyed 801 clinicians (including 630 psychiatrists) attending the Massachusetts General Hospital's annual psychopharmacology review course. Clinicians were presented with a vignette about a patient with depression who had responded partially to an SSRI and were asked to choose among various strategies available to manage this patient. RESULTS: Of those surveyed, 466 clinicians had been in practice a mean of 16.6 years (SD 10.7). Not all clinicians chose to answer every question. Among 455 respondents, 84% (n = 382) chose to increase the dose of the SSRI, 10% (n = 47) chose augmentation or combination, and 7% (n = 31) opted for switching agents. When asked to switch to another agent, 448 responded, of whom 52% (n = 235) chose a newer antidepressant, 34% (n = 152) chose another SSRI, 10% (n = 44) chose a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA), 2% (n = 8) chose a serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), 1% (n = 5) chose a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), and 1% (n = 4) chose an undefined "other" agent. Among 445 respondents, bupropion was the most widely chosen augmenting agent (30%, n = 134), followed by lithium (22%, n = 98). West coast and Canadian clinicians preferred to switch to another SSRI rather than to a newer antidepressant. Canadian clinicians preferred lithium to bupropion as their first-choice augmenting agent, as did clinicians from academic settings. Clinicians from community, individual practice, or group settings favoured bupropion. More experienced clinicians preferred bupropion as a first-choice augmenter, whereas less experienced ones showed a slight preference for lithium. Canadian clinicians were more likely to use MAOIs as second-line agents. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians in this sample often followed strategies different from those recommended in the literature. Bupropion may have an important role in augmentating treatment with SSRIs.
Antimanic Agents↗
Interruption of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment. Double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
BACKGROUND: Abrupt interruption of therapy with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) has been associated with somatic and psychological symptoms. AIMS: Systematically to assess symptoms and effects on daily functioning related to interruption of SSRI therapy. METHOD: Patients treated with fluoxetine, setraline or paroxetine underwent identical five-day periods of treatment interruption and continued active treatment under double-blind, order-randomised conditions, with regular assessment of new symptoms. RESULTS: Placebo substitution for paroxetine was associated with increases in the number and severity of adverse events following the second missed dose, and increases in functional impairment at five days. Placebo substitution for sertraline resulted in less pronounced changes, while interruption of fluoxetine was not associated with any significant increase in symptomatology. CONCLUSIONS: Abrupt interruption of SSRI treatment can result in a syndrome characterised by specific physical and psychological symptoms. Incidence, timing and severity of symptoms vary among SSRIs in a fashion that appears to be related to plasma elimination characteristics.
Adult↗
Partial response, nonresponse, and relapse with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in major depression: a survey of current "next-step" practices.
BACKGROUND: Many patients treated for major depression require more than one antidepressant trial to achieve or sustain response. However, the literature provides few treatment algorithms or effectiveness studies that empirically support "next-step" options available to clinicians. We conducted a survey of psychiatrists and other medical specialists who treat depression to ascertain what clinicians actually do when faced with patients who suboptimally respond to an adequate course of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) therapy. METHOD: Attendees at a psychopharmacology course (N = 801) were queried about their top choices for antidepressant-treatment nonresponders: a minimal responder after 4 weeks of adequate SSRI treatment, a partial responder after 8 weeks of adequate SSRI therapy, a nonresponder after 8 weeks of adequate SSRI therapy, and a relapser on long-term SSRI maintenance therapy. Choices included raising the dose, augmenting or combining with another agent, switching to a second SSRI. or switching to a non-SSRI agent. RESULTS: 432 (54%) of the surveys were returned. Raising the dose was the most frequently reported next-step strategy for a patient with minimal response after 4 weeks of adequate SSRI therapy, partial response after 8 weeks of adequate SSRI therapy, and relapse on long-term SSRI therapy. Switching to a non-SSRI agent was the most frequently chosen option for nonresponders to an adequate trial of SSRI therapy. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that clinicians select different next-step strategies when patients are nonresponders versus when patients are partial responders or relapsers.
Antidepressive Agents↗
The efficacy and safety of a new enteric-coated formulation of fluoxetine given once weekly during the continuation treatment of major depressive disorder.
BACKGROUND: A simple, once-weekly dosing regimen could be a convenient alternative for many patients during long-term treatment of depression. Such a strategy might also be effective for improving medication compliance and the outcome of continuation treatment. The safety and effectiveness of a new formulation of enteric-coated fluoxetine (90 mg) given once weekly was tested during the continuation treatment of major depressive disorder. METHOD: Patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for major depressive disorder with modified 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D-17) scores > or = 18 and Clinical Global Impressions-Severity of Illness scale (CGI-S) scores > or = 4 were treated 13 weeks with open-label 20 mg/day of fluoxetine in a multicenter U.S. study. Responders (N = 501) were randomly assigned to receive 20 mg of fluoxetine daily, placebo, or 90 mg of enteric-coated fluoxetine weekly for 25 weeks of double-blind continuation treatment. The primary efficacy measure was the percentage of patients who relapsed. Time to relapse was tested over the 25-week continuation period using log-rank analyses of the Kaplan-Meier estimates of relapse rates. Additional analyses of efficacy included comparison of change from baseline to endpoint for the HAM-D-17, CGI-S, and HAM-D-28 subscales by last observation carried forward (LOCF). Safety measures included comparison of treatment-emergent adverse events, both spontaneous and solicited (using the Association for Methodology of Documentation in Psychiatry-Module 5), vital signs, and laboratory measures. RESULTS: Relapse rates for patients assigned to fluoxetine, either 20 mg daily or 90 mg weekly, were significantly lower than for placebo by log-rank analysis and LOCF analyses of secondary efficacy measures. Efficacy did not significantly differ between the 2 active drug groups by these measures. Enteric-coated fluoxetine at a once-weekly dose of 90 mg was well tolerated, and its safety profile was similar to that of daily 20 mg of fluoxetine. CONCLUSION: The formulation of enteric-coated fluoxetine taken once weekly is effective, safe, and well tolerated for continuation treatment of depression in patients who responded to acute treatment with 20 mg/day of fluoxetine. Monitoring during long-term treatment for evidence of sustained remission is important regardless of dosing regimen.
Adolescent↗
Fluoxetine versus sertraline and paroxetine in major depressive disorder: changes in weight with long-term treatment.
BACKGROUND: The effects of extended selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) treatment on weight are not well characterized. Also unknown is whether different agents have differential effects. To examine these questions, we assessed weight changes in patients randomly assigned to long-term treatment with fluoxetine, sertraline, or paroxetine. METHOD: Patients (N = 284) with major depressive disorder (DSM-IV) were randomly assigned to double-blind treatment with fluoxetine (N = 92), sertraline, (N = 96), or paroxetine (N = 96) for a total of 26 to 32 weeks. The mean percent change in weight was compared for each group, as was the number of patients who had > or = 7% weight increase from baseline. RESULTS: Patients (fluoxetine, N = 44; sertraline, N = 48; paroxetine, N = 47) who completed the trial were included in these analyses. Paroxetine-treated patients experienced a significant weight increase, fluoxetine-treated patients had a modest but nonsignificant weight decrease, and patients treated with sertraline had a modest but nonsignificant weight increase. The number of patients whose weight increased > 7% from baseline was significantly greater for paroxetine-treated compared with either fluoxetine-treated or sertraline-treated patients. CONCLUSION: Risk of weight gain during extended SSRI treatment differs depending on which SSRI is used.
Adult↗
New approaches to the treatment of refractory depression.
Although the majority of patients with depression respond well to their initial pharmacologic treatment, as many as 30% to 45% fail to achieve an adequate response. In addition to the more traditional lithium and thyroid hormone augmentation strategies, a number of new pharmacotherapeutic approaches are currently being used to help manage refractory depression, including the addition of another agent or a switch to another antidepressant. Augmentation and switching strategies are often selected in order to obtain a different neurochemical effect (e.g., adding a relatively noradrenergic agent to a relatively serotonergic antidepressant). In particular, several studies have suggested that depressed patients refractory to treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may show a good response to newer agents that have a pharmacologic profile distinct from the SSRIs. Furthermore, preliminary studies have shown that the addition of SSRIs to either noradrenergic drugs such as the tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) or dopaminergic agents may be efficacious, even though concerns about drug-drug interactions and tricyclic cardiac toxicity have limited the use of TCA-SSRI combinations. The introduction of reboxetine, a relatively selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, may increase the use of the latter therapeutic approach because of its improved safety profile compared with the TCAs. The review of treatment options for refractory depression that follows will outline the advantages, disadvantages, and level of support for a number of new treatment strategies.
Antidepressive Agents↗
Management of nonresponse and intolerance: switching strategies.
Approximately 29% to 46% of depressed patients show only partial or no response to treatment with antidepressants, with intolerance a frequent cause of treatment failure or discontinuation. Clinicians frequently switch to other antidepressants patients who have failed to tolerate or to respond to antidepressant treatment. The switching strategy involves substitution of another agent for the agent that has either caused intolerable side effects or has failed to induce a response. Fredman and colleagues have recently surveyed 402 psychiatrists from various parts of the country and asked them what steps they would take for patients who fail to respond to 8 weeks or more of an adequate dose of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). Interestingly, switching to a non-SSRI agent was the most popular choice indicated by psychiatrists (44% of respondents), with dual-acting agents and bupropion being the next most commonly chosen agents. Even though there are no controlled trials of switching strategies in the literature to date, clinicians often choose this course of action. This article will review some of the currently available studies on switching strategies.
Antidepressive Agents↗
Weight gain and antidepressants.
Weight gain during antidepressant treatment can be either a sign of improvement in patients who have weight loss as a symptom of depression or a residual symptom in patients who overeat when depressed. However, significant weight gain during the acute phase of treatment or weight gain that continues despite achieving full remission of depressive symptoms is likely to be a side effect of antidepressant treatment. Weight gain is a relatively common problem during both acute and long-term treatment with antidepressants, and it is an important contributing factor to noncompliance. This article will review the literature with regard to the relative risk for weight gain of antidepressants. It appears that tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and perhaps monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) may be more likely to cause weight gain than the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or the newer antidepressants, with the exception of mirtazapine, which may be placed between the SSRIs and the TCAs in terms of relative risk for weight gain. Paroxetine may be more likely to cause weight gain than the other SSRIs during long-term treatment, and bupropion and nefazodone may be less likely to cause weight gain than the SSRIs in the long term, although more studies are necessary to confirm these impressions.
Antidepressive Agents↗
Patterns of axis I comorbidity in early-onset versus late-onset major depressive disorder.
BACKGROUND: This study of a large clinical sample of depressed patients examined whether childhood onset as compared with adult onset Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) would confer a greater risk for Axis I comorbidity and whether childhood onset MDD would also differ from adult onset MDD in the pattern of comorbid disorders. METHODS: We examined lifetime co-occurrence of Axis I disorders among 381 adult outpatients with MDD by Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R-Patient Edition (SCID-P). Subjects were divided into childhood onset (n = 47), adolescent onset (n = 101) and adult onset (n = 233) MDD groups. RESULTS: We found that the two early-onset groups exhibited significantly increased rates of Axis I comorbidity. The childhood onset group accounted for a disproportionately high percentage of depressed adults with two or more comorbid Axis I disorders. Social and simple phobias and alcohol abuse/dependence were significantly more prevalent among individuals with childhood onset MDD than among individuals with adult onset MDD. Alcohol abuse/dependence, but not anxiety disorders, was significantly more prevalent among adolescent onset than adult onset MDD groups. Panic, generalized anxiety, obsessive-compulsive and somatoform disorders were equally distributed across MDD onset groups. Comorbid disorders were much more likely to have followed onset of MDD among individuals with childhood compared with adult onset, except for social phobia which more frequently preceded the depression. The relative ordering among the comorbid conditions with respect to whether they followed or preceded MDD did not vary notably across the three age of onset groups. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that early-onset MDD is associated with an increased density of Axis I comorbidity that seems to be limited to specific disorders.
Adult↗
Dysfunctional attitudes and poor problem solving skills predict hopelessness in major depression.
BACKGROUND: Hopelessness is a significant predictor of suicidality, but not all depressed patients feel hopeless. If clinicians can predict hopelessness, they may be able to identify those patients at risk of suicide and focus interventions on factors associated with hopelessness. In this study, we examined potential predictors of hopelessness in a sample of depressed outpatients. METHODS: In this study, we examined potential demographic, diagnostic, and symptom predictors of hopelessness in a sample of 138 medication-free outpatients (73 women and 65 men) with a primary diagnosis of major depression. The significance of predictors was evaluated in both simple and multiple regression analyses. RESULTS: Consistent with previous studies, we found no significant associations between demographic and diagnostic variables and greater hopelessness. Hopelessness was significantly associated with greater depression severity, poor problem solving abilities as assessed by the Problem Solving Inventory, and each of two measures of dysfunctional cognitions (the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale and the Cognitions Questionnaire). In a stepwise multiple regression equation, however, only dysfunctional cognitions and poor problem solving offered non-redundant prediction of hopelessness scores, and accounted for 20% of the variance in these scores. LIMITATIONS: This study is based on depressed patients entering into an outpatient treatment protocol. All analyses were correlational in nature, and no causal links can be concluded. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings, identifying clinical correlates of hopelessness, provide clinicians with potential additional targets for assessment and treatment of suicidal risk. In particular, clinical attention to dysfunctional attitudes and problem solving skills may be important for further reduction of hopelessness and perhaps suicidal risk.
Adult↗
The prevalence of sleep-related eating disorder in psychiatric and non-psychiatric populations.
BACKGROUND: Sleep-related eating disorder is a little-described syndrome combining features of sleep disorders and eating disorders. The behaviour consists of partial arousals from sleep followed by rapid ingestion of food, commonly with at least partial amnesia for the episode the following day. The aim of this study was to provide an estimate of the prevalence of sleep-related eating disorder. METHODS: The Inventory of Nocturnal Eating, a self-report questionnaire addressing nocturnal eating and sleep disturbance, was administered to out-patients (N = 126) and in-patients (N = 24) with eating disorders, obese subjects (N = 126) in a trial of an anorexic agent, depressed subjects (N = 207) in an antidepressant trial, and an unselected group (N = 217) of college students. Sleep-related eating disorder was operationally defined as nocturnal eating with a self-reported reduced level of awareness, occurring at least once per week. RESULTS: Almost 5.0% (33/700) of the sample described symptoms consistent with sleep-related eating disorder. The in-patient eating disorders group had nearly twice the prevalence (16.7%) of the out-patient eating disorder sample (8.7%), which had nearly twice the prevalence of the next highest group, the student sample (4.6%). Subjects with sleep-related eating disorder endorsed more symptoms consistent with sleep disorders and had higher levels of depression and dissociation than those without nocturnal eating. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep-related eating disorder is more common than is generally recognized, especially in those with a daytime eating disorder. Sleep disorder symptoms are often associated with sleep-related eating disorder, as are depression and dissociation. Evaluation of individuals with eating disorders should include assessment for sleep-related eating.
Adult↗
Open study of the catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitor tolcapone in major depressive disorder.
Tolcapone is a catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitor that has shown efficacy in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. The authors undertook the first study on the efficacy of this COMT inhibitor in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). The authors also wanted to assess the effects of tolcapone on the choline and myoinositol resonances in the left caudate and dorsolateral frontal lobe through proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy and on whole blood levels of S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe). The study enrolled 21 adults (10 men and 11 women; mean age, 42.6 +/- 9.6 years) with MDD, which was diagnosed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, and an initial score of > or = 16 on the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D-17). Patients were then treated openly for 8 weeks with tolcapone 400 mg twice daily. Treatment efficacy was assessed with the HAM-D-17, the Clinical Global Impressions Severity (CGI-S) scale, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Among all subjects (N = 21), there were significant (p < .0001) decreases at endpoint in HAM-D-17 scores (from 19.4 +/- 2.9 to 10.7 +/- 5.5), CGI-S scores (from 3.9 +/- 0.6 to 2.4 +/- 1.1), and BDI scores (from 21.6 +/- 8.1 to 12.3 +/- 8.6). Eight patients (38%) dropped out before completing the 8-week open study because of diarrhea, elevated liver function tests, increased anxiety, and noncompliance. No significant effects were noted on choline and myoinositol resonance or on SAMe levels in whole blood before and after 2 weeks of tolcapone treatment. The preliminary results suggest that tolcapone may be a promising agent in the treatment of MDD. Furthermore, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies are necessary to confirm this impression.
Adult↗
Compounds containing cytosolic choline in the basal ganglia: a potential biological marker of true drug response to fluoxetine.
OBJECTIVE: Studies have identified two types of antidepressant response: true drug response and placebo pattern response. This study examined the relationship between true drug response and choline-creatine ratios in the basal ganglia of depressed patients treated with fluoxetine. METHOD: The authors evaluated drug-free outpatients with major depression before (N = 41) and after (N = 15) 8 weeks of fluoxetine treatment, 20 mg/day, by using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in the degree of change from baseline to week 8 in choline-creatine ratios between the true drug response group (N = 8) and the placebo pattern response/nonresponse group (N = 7); the true drug response patients had a 20% increase in choline-creatine ratios, and the placebo pattern response/nonresponse patients had a 12% decrease in choline-creatine ratios. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that true drug response to fluoxetine treatment in depression may be associated with an increase in choline-creatine ratios in the basal ganglia.
Adult↗
Residual symptoms in depressed patients who respond acutely to fluoxetine.
BACKGROUND: Antidepressants have unequivocal efficacy as compared with placebo, but many patients have residual symptoms despite a robust response to antidepressant therapy. The purpose of this study is to assess residual symptoms in outpatients who respond acutely to fluoxetine. METHOD: Two hundred and fifteen outpatients with major depressive disorder as assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID-P) were treated openly with fluoxetine 20 mg/day for 8 weeks. One hundred and eight (50.2%) were considered full responders (final 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression [HAM-D] score < or =7). Percentages of full responders who continued to have subthreshold or full major depressive disorder symptoms were calculated. The relationship between residual symptoms and Axis I and Axis II (assessed with SCID-II for personality disorders) comorbidity was assessed. RESULTS: Of the 108 responders, 19 (17.6%) had no subthreshold or threshold SCID-P major depressive disorder symptoms, while 28 (25.9%) had 1 symptom, and 61 (56.5%) had 2 or more symptoms. No statistically significant relationships were found between number of residual symptoms and selected Axis I comorbid conditions or total number of Axis II disorders. CONCLUSION: Less than 20% of full responders to fluoxetine by HAM-D criteria were free of all SCID-P subthreshold and threshold major depressive disorder symptoms after 8 weeks of treatment. While depressed patients benefit from antidepressants, most continue to have some symptoms of depression. The high prevalence of residual symptoms among antidepressant responders suggests the need for further study including whether residual symptoms abate with longer treatment or increased dose of fluoxetine. Other strategies, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, may be needed to address residual symptoms.
Adult↗
Efficacy of fluvoxamine in the treatment of major depression with comorbid anxiety disorders.
BACKGROUND: Major depression with comorbid anxiety disorder is associated with poor antidepressant outcome compared with major depression without comorbid anxiety disorder. The purpose of our study was to assess changes in depressive symptoms and anxiety levels in outpatients with major depression with comorbid anxiety disorder following 12 weeks of open treatment with fluvoxamine. METHOD: We enrolled 30 outpatients (mean +/- SD age = 39.4 +/- 11.3 years; 16 women and 14 men) with DSM-IV major depressive disorder accompanied by one or more current comorbid DSM-IV anxiety disorders in our study. Patients were treated openly with fluvoxamine initiated at 50 mg/day, with an upward titration to a maximum of 200 mg/day (mean +/- SD dose = 143 +/- 45 mg/day). Efficacy assessments included the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D-17) and Clinical Global Impressions-Severity of Illness (CGI-S) and Improvement (CGI-I) scales for both depression and anxiety. Intent-to-treat analysis was used to assess outcome. RESULTS: The mean +/- SD number of comorbid anxiety disorders per patient was 2.1 +/- 1.1. Following fluvoxamine treatment, the mean +/- SD HAM-D-17 score dropped from 20.2 +/- 3.3 to 1 1.0 +/- 7.0 (p < .0001). The mean +/- SD depression CGI-S score dropped from 4.0 +/- 0.6 to 2.4 +/- 1.1 (p < .0001), and the mean +/- SD anxiety CGI-S score decreased from 4.1 +/- 0.8 to 2.5 +/- 1.2 (p < .0001). Eighteen (60%) of the 30 patients had CGI-I scores < or = 2 for both anxiety and depression at endpoint, with 53% showing a > or = 50% reduction in HAM-D-17 scores at endpoint. CONCLUSION: Although preliminary, our findings suggest that fluvoxamine is effective in treating outpatients with major depression with comorbid anxiety disorder, having a significant effect on both depression and anxiety symptoms. Further double-blind, placebo-controlled trials are needed, in a larger sample, to confirm our findings.
Adolescent↗