Effects of pill-giving on maintenance of placebo response in patients with chronic mild depression.
Fifty outpatients with mild, chronic, mood-reactive depression whose mood improved markedly after a 10-day single-blind placebo trial were randomly assigned in a double-blind design either to have their placebo medication discontinued or to have it maintained for an additional 6 weeks. Half of the patients in each condition relapsed within 6 weeks, indicating that pill-taking itself does not influence maintenance of placebo response. Placebo response was more likely to be maintained in patients who were currently married. At the end of 3 months, the overall relapse rate was 58%. The authors raise questions about the utility of the initial 10-day placebo washout in antidepressant clinical trials, and they discuss limits on the generalizability of their findings.
Rabkin
J G
JG
New York State Psychiatric Institute, NY 10032.
McGrath
P J
PJ
Quitkin
F M
FM
Tricamo
E
E
Stewart
J W
JW
Klein
D F
DF
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D010919:Placebos / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012008:Recurrence; D012737:Sex Factors; D016037:Single-Blind Method
D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D010919:Placebos