Effect on disability outcomes of a depression relapse prevention program.
OBJECTIVE
This report evaluates the effects of a depression relapse prevention program on disability outcomes among patients treated for depression at high risk for relapse.


METHODS
Primary care patients initiating antidepressant treatment for depression were assessed 6 to 8 weeks after the initial prescription. Patients responding to initial treatment but at high risk for relapse were randomized to usual care or a relapse prevention intervention (N= 386). The 12-month relapse prevention program included systematic patient education, two psycho-educational visits with a depression prevention specialist, shared decision-making regarding maintenance pharmacotherapy, and ongoing monitoring of medication adherence and depressive symptoms via telephone and mail. Disability outcomes were assessed via blinded telephone assessments at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months using SF-36 and Sheehan Disability scales.


RESULTS
Usual care patients and relapse prevention program patients had high rates of use of maintenance pharmacotherapy. Both relapse prevention and usual care patients showed improved functioning over the 12-month follow-up period. One of the three disability measures (the SF-36 Social Function scale) showed a significant intervention effect because of continuing improvement at 9 and 12 month follow-up, whereas the Sheehan Disability Scale showed a nonsignificant trend toward greater improvements in disability among relapse prevention patients than among usual care controls.


CONCLUSIONS
Moderate effects of a relapse prevention intervention on depressive symptoms were associated with modest and variable effects on disability outcomes. Inconsistent effects of the intervention for disability outcomes may be because of the high rates of maintenance pharmacotherapy among usual care patients, relatively mild levels of depressive symptoms among both intervention and control patients at baseline, the absence of a specific relapse prevention effect of the intervention, and the resultant modest differences in depressive symptoms between intervention and control patients in this trial.
Von Korff
Michael
M
Center for Health Studies, Group Health Cooperative, Seattle, WA 98101206-287-2874, USA. Vonkorff.M@GHC.ORG
Katon
Wayne
W
Rutter
Carolyn
C
Ludman
Evette
E
Simon
Greg
G
Lin
Elizabeth
E
Bush
Terry
T
D000328:Adult; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000628:therapy; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011177:Postal Service; D012008:Recurrence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D012919:Social Behavior; D013689:Telephone; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000928:Antidepressive Agents