Heterogeneity among depressed outpatients considered to be in remission
Section snippets
Methods
Participants were 303 psychiatric outpatients who were being treated for a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) major depressive episode in the Rhode Island Hospital Department of Psychiatry outpatient practice. This private practice group predominantly treats individuals with medical insurance on a fee-for-service basis, and it is distinct from the hospital's outpatient residency training clinic that predominantly serves lower-income, uninsured, and
Results
The mean score on the 17-item HAM-D for the entire sample of 303 patients was 11.4 (SD, 8.4). Slightly more than one half of the sample were treatment responders (SCOR-D rating of ≤3) (n = 154, 50.8%), and more than one third were in remission (HAM-D ≤7) (n = 118, 38.9%). Psychosocial functioning was assessed in 144 (47.5%) patients. There were no demographic differences between patients who did and did not provide this information.
In the 50 patients who responded to treatment and completed the
Discussion
Keller [16] recently noted that a measurable, identifiable end point for the treatment of depression is as important to establish as it has been for the treatment of other chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia. Improvement in the symptoms of depression has long been the goal of treatment, and the development of instruments such as the HAM-D and Beck Depression Inventory more than 40 years ago enabled the tracking of treatment response by repeated
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