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A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of sertraline for depressive symptoms in patients with stable, chronic schizophrenia

Department of Mental Health, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast

Gerard Lynch

Holywell Hospital, Antrim, Northern Ireland

David J. King

Department of Therapeutics and Pharmacology, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK

Stephen J. Cooper

Department of Mental Health Queen's University Belfast Whitla Medical Building 97 Lisburn Road Belfast BT9 7BL, UK, s.cooper{at}qub.ac.uk

There have been no studies specifically examining the efficacy of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants for the symptoms of depression in schizophrenia. This study aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of sertraline as a treatment for depressive symptoms in patients with stable, chronic schizophrenia. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used as the principal outcome measure and other measures of depressive symptoms as secondary outcome measures. Twenty-six patients were entered into adouble-blind, placebo-controlled, 8-week trial of sertraline and were included in the intent-to-treat (ITT) analysis (13 in each group). Eight patients in the sertraline group and 12 in the placebo group completed at least four weeks in the study and were considered to have had adequate treatment. On the ITT analysis, the mean score on the BDI fell 14.5% for the sertraline group and 5.6% for the placebo group (p> 0.05); the mean score on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) fell 16.9% for the sertraline group and 8.3% for the placebo group (p > 0.05). When the analysis was repeated for those who had received adequate treatment, the mean BDI score fell by 28% for the sertraline group and 6% for the placebo group (p = 0.1); the mean HDRS score fell 31% for the sertraline group and 8.6% for the placebo group (p= 0.02). On the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement Scale, 10 of the 13 patients on sertraline improved against four of the 13 in the placebo group (p = 0.05). Sertraline-treated patients showed a significant improvement on the anxiety/ depression subscale of the BPRS on ITT analysis (F = 10.1, p = 0.004). There was no significant effect on negative or positive symptoms. Sertraline was well tolerated. The results suggest that sertraline is useful as a treatment for depressive symptoms in schizophrenia.

Key Words: depression • schizophrenia • selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

Journal of Psychopharmacology, Vol. 17, No. 1, 107-112 (2003)
DOI: 10.1177/0269881103017001713


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