title: Pharmacotherapies for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Meta-Analysis.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess the acceptability and efficacy of all types of pharmacotherapeutic agents in reducing the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In this systematic meta-analysis, the dropout and response rates of various pharmacotherapy and placebo treatments reported by randomized clinical trials were compared. A total of 34 reports that described the acceptability and efficacy of PTSD pharmacotherapies were retrieved and analyzed. Of them, 30 trials examined the dropout rate as an index of acceptability and revealed the superiority of the PTSD pharmacotherapy to placebos (odds ratio, 0.75; 95% confidence interval, 0.66-0.86; n = 4313). The response rate was determined in 20 trials as an index of efficacy, showing that the PTSD pharmacotherapies were superior to the placebos (odds ratio, 1.47; 95% confidence interval, 1.34-1.62; n = 2166). Pharmacotherapy is an important component of the care of patients with PTSD.
authors.affiliation: *School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University; and †Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, PR China.
authors.forename: Wenjie
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zuofeng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology*
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors