Pharmacopsychiatry 2011; 44(1): 27-32
DOI: 10.1055/s-0030-1267177
Original Paper

© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Relationship between Baseline Severity of Depression and Antidepressant Treatment Outcome

V. Henkel1 , F. Seemüller1 , M. Obermeier1 , M. Adli2 , M. Bauer3 , K. Kronmüller4 , F. Holsboer5 , P. Brieger6 , G. Laux7 , W. Bender8 , I. Heuser9 , J. Zeiler10 , W. Gaebel11 , A. Mayr1 , M. Riedel1 , H.-J. Möller1
  • 1Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
  • 2Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte (CCM), Berlin, Germany
  • 3Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Carl Gustav Carus Hospital, Technical University, Dresden, Germany
  • 4Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
  • 5Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
  • 6Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
  • 7Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Inn-Salzach-Klinikum, Wasserburg, Germany
  • 8Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Isar-Amper-Klinikum Munich East, Haar, Germany
  • 9Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Benjamin Franklin (CFB), Berlin, Germany
  • 10Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Auguste-Viktoria-Krankenhaus, Berlin, Germany
  • 11Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
Weitere Informationen

Publikationsverlauf

received 11.01.2010 revised 16.08.2010

accepted 16.08.2010

Publikationsdatum:
27. Oktober 2010 (online)

Abstract

Introduction: Assessment of depression severity is of key importance, since several clinical guidelines recommend choice of treatment dependent on the depression severity grade. Using different tools to assess baseline severity may result in different outcomes.

Methods: This paper describes the results of a multicentre, naturalistic study investigating the relationship between depression symptom severity (using 4 different measures of symptom severity) and clinical outcome among patients hospitalised for depression (N=1 014). Moreover, the impact of differences between methods of measuring depression severity has been investigated. Statistical analyses (univariate measurements, logistic regression models) were conducted to detect coherences and differences between the various methods of severity categorisation.

Results: Results revealed different associations between outcome and classification methods. Response or remission rates varied if baseline severity was assessed by different instruments. Moreover, the number of responders increased with higher baseline severity grades of depression, whereas the number of remitters decreased. Additional analyses dependent on outcome criteria using continuous instead of categorical data revealed similar results.

Discussion: Baseline severity may be only one of many other important clinical variables that mediate clinical outcome, but it is surely an important one deserving further research and consideration.

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Correspondence

F. SeemüllerMD 

Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy

Ludwig-Maximilians University

Nussbaumstraße 7

80336 Munich

Germany

Telefon: +49/89/5160 5846

Fax: +49/89/5160 5857

eMail: florian.seemueller@med.uni-muenchen.de