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Does olanzapine have antidepressant properties? A retrospective preliminary study
Author(s) -
Nassir Ghaemi S,
Cherry Erica L,
Katzow Jacob A,
Goodwin Frederick K
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
bipolar disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.285
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1399-5618
pISSN - 1398-5647
DOI - 10.1034/j.1399-5618.2000.020307.x
Subject(s) - olanzapine , antidepressant , bipolar disorder , mood , psychology , clinical global impression , psychiatry , atypical antipsychotic , major depressive disorder , mood stabilizer , medicine , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , clinical psychology , antipsychotic , alternative medicine , anxiety , pathology , placebo
Objective:Mood‐stabilizing agents are ideally conceptualized as possessing antimanic and antidepressant properties. While research on olanzapine's antimanic effects is growing, data on its possible antidepressant properties are limited. We sought to determine if olanzapine is effective in the add‐on treatment of major affective disorders, particularly depressive symptoms, in a naturalistic setting.
Methods: All charts of patients meeting DSM‐IV criteria for bipolar disorder or unipolar major depressive disorder treated with olanzapine in a private psychiatric practice were reviewed and clinical response was assessed retrospectively using the Clinical Global Impression Scale for Improvement (CGI‐I).
Results: Olanzapine was moderately effective in 6/10 (60%) patients. Side‐effects were present in 8/10 (80%), most commonly weight gain.
Conclusions: Olanzapine appears to be moderately effective in open add‐on treatment in patients with mainly depressive symptoms. Accumulating evidence suggests that olanzapine, and atypical antipsychotics in general, possess mild to moderate adjunctive antidepressant properties.