Clonazepam augmentation of antidepressants: does it distinguish unipolar from bipolar depression?
BACKGROUND
The authors compared the effect of clonazepam supplement treatment on unipolar depression and bipolar depression.


METHODS
A total of 38 protracted depression patients with unipolar depression (n = 19) or bipolar depression (n = 19) were treated with 3.0 mg clonazepam for 4 weeks.


RESULTS
In the unipolar depression group, 84.2% of the subjects fulfilled the response criteria (at least an 80% reduction in their HDRS score). However, in the bipolar depression group, only 10.5% of them fulfilled these criteria.


CONCLUSIONS
The difference in responses between the two groups supposes that the underlying abnormality in unipolar depression is not the same as that in bipolar depression. This trial also supposed that clonazepam can play active role in the treatment of protracted depression in patients with unipolar depression.


CONCLUSIONS
This finding was made in an open study, and the effect on clonazepam alone was not established.
Morishita
Shigeru
S
Department of Psychiatry, Kawasaki Medical School, 577 Matsushima, Kurashiki 701-0192, Japan. morisita@med.kawasaki-m.ac.jp
Aoki
Shozo
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002998:Clonazepam / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000927:Anticonvulsants; D002998:Clonazepam