title: Effect of initial treatment with antidepressants as a predictor of outcome after 8 weeks.
abstract: Most findings of antidepressant treatment prediction have not been replicated, and this applies to biological predictors as well as sociodemographic and early course predictors. One exception might be early psychopathological improvement. To reevaluate this question, we examined the results of two large-scale controlled clinical trials comparing the selective and reversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase type A (MAO-A) brofaromine with the standard tricyclic compound imipramine. One trial was carried out in a normal-aged patient group; the other, in elderly patients. Above all, we were interested in determining whether early treatment course would prove predictive of later outcome. The main finding was that the initial antidepressant effect (measured after 1 and 2 weeks) predicted longer term outcome. Although this association was not as strong in the elderly patient group, its predictive value did possess a certain clinical relevance.
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric University Hospital Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Volz
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sturm
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Preussler
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Möller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000187:drug effects*; D000368:Aged; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D007099:Imipramine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D010880:Piperidines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011379:Prognosis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic; D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors; D010880:Piperidines; C038213:brofaromine; D007099:Imipramine