Clinical Trial examines Predictors of Relapse in Psychotic Depression

Psychotic depression is a severe form of depression that can make it hard for someone to think clearly and can lead to hearing or seeing things that aren't really there. Unfortunately, this type of depression often comes back after someone starts to feel better. However, a clinical trial has found some clues that might help doctors predict if someone is likely to have another episode of this type of depression.

Clinical Trial

In this trial, 126 people who had experienced psychotic depression were given a drug called sertraline along with another drug called olanzapine, which is often used to treat mental illnesses. These people were then divided into two groups, with one group continuing to take both drugs, and the other group continuing to take sertraline but taking a placebo instead of olanzapine. A placebo is a fake pill that looks just like the real pill, but it doesn't contain any medicine.

The researchers wanted to see which group had another episode of psychotic depression. They also wanted to know if they could predict which people were more likely to have another episode. To do this, they looked at things like how many times each person had been depressed before, how severe their symptoms were when they started the trial, and if they had any problems moving their body in certain ways.

Results

After analyzing all of this information, the researchers found that people who had been depressed many times before, had more severe symptoms when they started the trial, and had problems moving their bodies, were more likely to have another episode of psychotic depression.

Additionally, the researchers found that the combination of these clues could help them predict who was more likely to have another episode. Using this information, they were able to predict whether someone would have another episode with about 70% accuracy.

The researchers also found that the people who had problems moving their bodies were more likely to have another episode if they continued to take both drugs, while the people who took the placebo instead of olanzapine were less likely to have another episode, regardless of whether they had problems moving their body or not.

These findings are important because they can help doctors predict who is more likely to have another episode of psychotic depression and develop treatment plans that are tailored to each person's needs. This could involve more aggressive treatment for people who have been depressed many times before or have more severe symptoms, or it could involve more careful monitoring of people who have problems moving their bodies.

Conclusion

The clinical trial found that people who had been depressed many times before, had more severe symptoms when they started the trial, and had problems moving their bodies, were more likely to have another episode of psychotic depression. Additionally, the researchers found that using a combination of these clues could help them predict whether someone would have another episode with about 70% accuracy. These findings are important because they can help doctors develop better treatment plans for people with psychotic depression and improve their chances of staying well.

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