title: A Meta-Analysis of Depressive Symptom Outcomes in Randomized, Controlled Trials for PTSD.
abstract: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often co-occurs with depression. Current PTSD practice guidelines lack specific guidance for clinicians regarding the treatment of depressive symptoms. We conducted a meta-analysis of all randomized, placebo-controlled trials for PTSD therapies focusing on depression outcomes to inform clinicians about effective treatment options for depressive symptoms associated with PTSD. We searched literature databases for randomized, controlled clinical trials of any treatment for PTSD published between 1980 and 2013. We selected articles in which all subjects were adults with a diagnosis of PTSD based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria, and valid PTSD and depressive symptom measures were reported. The sample consisted of 116 treatment comparisons drawn from 93 manuscripts. Evidence-based PTSD treatments are effective for comorbid depressive symptoms. Existing PTSD treatments work as well for comorbid depressive symptoms as they do for PTSD symptoms.
authors.affiliation: *White River Junction Veterans Affairs Medical Center, White River Junction, VT; †Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH; and ‡VA National Center for Patient Safety, White River Junction, VT.
authors.forename: Julia McDougal
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ronconi
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shiner
authors.forename: Bradley V
authors.initials: BV
authors.lastname: Watts
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015897:Comorbidity; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents