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Cited by 216Treatment of Major DepressionPsychotherapy Techniques and ApplicationsAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 74 of the 74 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Untreated short-term course of major depression: a meta-analysis of outcomes from studies using wait-list control groups

Posternak, Michael A., Miller, Ivan·2001·Journal of Affective Disorders
DOI 10.1016/s0165-0327(00)00304-9
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Abstract

Introduction While the short-term response rates to antidepressant medication and placebo are well established, very little is known about the short-term course of untreated depression. Knowledge of the course of untreated depression can serve as a benchmark for assessing the true benefits of active treatment.Method A meta-analysis was performed analyzing the outcomes of all psychotherapy studies that randomized adult outpatients with major depressive disorder to a wait-list control group.Results Nineteen studies involving 221 subjects were reviewed. The mean decrease in Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression scores over 2-20 weeks was 11.9%, while the mean decrease in Beck Depression Inventory scores was 15.7%. Using a subsample of studies that reported individual outcomes, we estimated that 15 of 76 subjects (19.7%) improved to a degree comparable to what would be considered a positive response in antidepressant trials.Conclusions In the short-term, depressive symptomatology can be expected to decrease by about 10-15% on average without treatment. As many as 20% of subjects who participate in a short-term antidepressant trial may experience a spontaneous remission.

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Crossref · 10.1016/s0165-0327(00)00304-9

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Metadata

Authors
Posternak, M. A., & Miller, I.
Affiliations
Brown University (US)
Corresponding author
Posternak, Michael A.
ORCID
Miller, Ivan
Venue
Journal of Affective Disorders
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2001-10
Volume
66
Issue
2-3
Pages
139-146
ISSN
0165-0327 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/s0165-0327(00)00304-9
OpenAlex
W2006252753
Cited by
215
References
65
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 19
FWCI
0.40
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Journal of Affective Disorders (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology (medical) › Treatment of Major Depression
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
Keywords
untreated depression, major depressive disorder, spontaneous regression, waitlist control, outpatients, placebo response
MeSH terms
Adult, Major Depressive Disorder, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Psychotherapy, Brief, Waiting Lists, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Treatment Outcome, Benchmarking

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