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Treating Geriatric Depression: A 26‐week Interim Analysis
Author(s) -
JARVIK LISSY F.,
MINTZ JIM,
STEUER JOANNE,
GERNER ROBERT
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1982.tb01987.x
Subject(s) - medicine , doxepin , tricyclic , imipramine , placebo , depression (economics) , tricyclic antidepressant , antidepressant , interim analysis , interim , antidepressant medication , concordance , geriatrics , psychiatry , randomized controlled trial , anesthesia , pharmacology , alternative medicine , history , archaeology , pathology , hippocampus , economics , macroeconomics
Two concurrent studies of geriatric outpatients who received diagnoses of depression were conducted. In the first, patients were treated with one of two tricyclic antidepressants or with a placebo. In the second, patients were assigned to groups receiving either psychodynamic group therapy or cognitive‐behavioral group therapy. Patients in the placebo group showed the least improvement; most patients receiving group psychotherapy showed some improvement, but only 12% had full remissions; by contrast, 45% of patients receiving imipramine or doxepin had full remissions, while 36% of them experienced little or no benefit. An early response to tricyclic antidepressant drugs was a reliable predictor of continued improvement.