The art of clinical management in pharmacologic trials with depressed elderly patients: lessons from the Pittsburgh Study of Maintenance Therapies in Late-Life Depression.
The authors outline the clinical management methods used in a long-term study of depressed elderly patients and comment on the positive aspects of such interventions on the successful recruitment and retention of subjects. Psychosocial or clinical management (CM) is the "glue" that holds a successful drug trial together. CM is recognized to be an essential element for success in drug trials for geriatric depression. The authors also discuss potentially negative aspects of comprehensive CM, such as those obscuring a psychotherapeutic effect in comparative studies.
Miller
M D
MD
Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA 15213, USA.
Frank
E
E
Reynolds
C F
CF
D000368:Aged / Q000523:psychology*; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D009661:Nortriptyline / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000150:complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods; D012008:Recurrence
D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic; D009661:Nortriptyline