Relative Efficacy Rates for Therapies of Delusional Depression.
The treatment responses of 597 patients with delusional depression from 17 studies were compared. Patients were treated with either tricyclic anti-depressants (TCAs), antipsychotics (APs), the combination of TCA/AP, or electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The overall responses were 34% in the group treated with TCA, 51% in the AP group, 77% in the TCA/AP group, and 82% in the ECT group. Prospective studies to define the risk/benefit ratios of the more effective therapies, TCA/AP and ECT, are needed.
Kroessler
David
D
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, School of Medicine, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York, USA.