title: Duration of untreated illness and antidepressant fluvoxamine response in major depressive disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to analyze the relation between treatment response and the duration of untreated illness (DUI) in 133 outpatients with the first major depressive disorder (MDD) episode.
  
  
  METHODS
  A logistic regression was performed with DUI, sex, age at onset, and score for 17 items on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale at the time of start of fluvoxamine treatment as the explanatory variables, and the response and the remission as the outcome variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Regression analysis showed significant association between the response and DUI (P < 0.0001), and between the remission and DUI (P < 0.0001), respectively. The remission rate gradually decreased with longer DUI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Early treatment of first depressive episodes is important because a shorter DUI implied better remission outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Okehazama Hospital Fujita Mental Care Center, Aichi, Japan. akkon-o@fujita-hu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Okuda
authors.forename: Tatsuyo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Taro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kishi
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamanouchi
authors.forename: Kazunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Umeda
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Haitoh
authors.forename: Shuji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ozaki
authors.forename: Nakao
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Iwata
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D016666:Fluvoxamine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D016666:Fluvoxamine