Early improvement is a predictor of treatment outcome in patients with mild major, minor or subsyndromal depression
Abstract Background There is substantial evidence that early improvement (EI) under antidepressant treatment is a clinically useful predictor of later treatment outcome in patients with major depressive disorders. The aim of this study was to test whether EI can also be used as a predictor for treatment outcome in patients with mild major, minor or subsyndromal depression, i.e. patients, who are typically treated by general practitioners. Methods Analyses were carried out using data from 223 patients of a 10-weeks randomized, placebo-controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of sertraline and cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) in patients with mild major, minor or subsyndromal depressio…
Sleep quality in the general population: psychometric properties of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, derived from a German community sample of 9284 people.
Abstract Background The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is frequently used to assess sleep problems in patients. The aim of this study was to provide reference values for this questionnaire, to test psychometric properties, and to analyze associations with psychological, sociodemographic, and behavioral factors. Methods A German community sample comprising 9284 adult residents (aged 18–80 years) was surveyed using the PSQI and several other questionnaires. Results According to the generally accepted cut-off (PSQI > 5), 36% of the general population slept badly. Females reported significantly more sleep problems than males (mean scores: M = 5.5 vs. M = 4.4, respectively; effect size d …
P-491 - Sensitivity to changes during antidepressant treatment: a comparison of unidimensional depression rating scales in patients with minor depression
In the efficacy evaluation of antidepressant treatments the total score of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) is still regarded as the’gold standard’. Studies suggest that unidimensional subscales of the HAMD, which capture the core depressive symptoms, outperform the full HAMD regarding the detection of antidepressant treatment effects. The present study compared several unidimensional subscales of the HAMD and the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (IDS) regarding their sensitivity to changes in depression symptoms in a sample of patients with minor depression (MIND). Biweekly IDS-C28 and HAMD17 data from 287 patients of a 10-week randomised, placebo-controlled trial comparin…