Psychother Psychosom. 1992;58(3-4):170-7.

Review of the use of pattern analysis to differentiate true drug and placebo responses.

Source

Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, N.Y.

Abstract

Placebo response in patients assigned active drug is a troubling source of variance in antidepressant studies. This paper summarizes a series of studies utilizing pattern analysis to distinguish between placebo and true drug responses. Analysis of the persistence, speed, and timing of onset of patients' improvement during antidepressant therapy reveals distinct patterns of response which are likely to be attributable to placebo and true drug effects. While true drug effects seem to be characterized by a 2-week delay in onset followed by persistent improvement, placebo effects seem to be characterized by abrupt, transient improvement. Gradual responses on placebo may be due to spontaneous remission. The heuristic and clinical implications of pattern analysis are discussed.

PMID:: 1488501; [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Publication Types, MeSH Terms, Substances

Publication Types

Comparative Study

MeSH Terms

Substances

LinkOut - more resources

Other Literature Sources

Medical

Antidepressants - MedlinePlus Health Information

Supplemental Content

Save items

Related citations in PubMed

Further evidence that a placebo response to antidepressants can be identified. [Am J Psychiatry. 1993]
Further evidence that a placebo response to antidepressants can be identified.
Quitkin FM, Stewart JW, McGrath PJ, Nunes E, Ocepek-Welikson K, Tricamo E, Rabkin JG, Klein DF. Am J Psychiatry. 1993 Apr; 150(4):566-70.
Use of pattern analysis to predict differential relapse of remitted patients with major depression during 1 year of treatment with fluoxetine or placebo. [Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1998]
Use of pattern analysis to predict differential relapse of remitted patients with major depression during 1 year of treatment with fluoxetine or placebo.
Stewart JW, Quitkin FM, McGrath PJ, Amsterdam J, Fava M, Fawcett J, Reimherr F, Rosenbaum J, Beasley C, Roback P. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1998 Apr; 55(4):334-43.
Different types of placebo response in patients receiving antidepressants. [Am J Psychiatry. 1991]
Different types of placebo response in patients receiving antidepressants.
Quitkin FM, McGrath PJ, Rabkin JG, Stewart JW, Harrison W, Ross DC, Tricamo E, Fleiss J, Markowitz J, Klein DF. Am J Psychiatry. 1991 Feb; 148(2):197-203.
Review [The relationship between the placebo effect and spontaneous improvement in research on antidepressants. Are placebos powerless?]. [Ugeskr Laeger. 2005]
Review [The relationship between the placebo effect and spontaneous improvement in research on antidepressants. Are placebos powerless?].
Hougaard E. Ugeskr Laeger. 2005 Aug 8; 167(32):2865-9.
Review The mousetrap: managing the placebo effect in antidepressant trials. [Mol Interv. 2002]
Review The mousetrap: managing the placebo effect in antidepressant trials.
Lakoff A. Mol Interv. 2002 Apr; 2(2):72-6.

See reviews... See all...

Cited by 2 PubMed Central articles

Review Psychosocial determinants of recovery in depression. [Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2008]
Review Psychosocial determinants of recovery in depression.
Fava GA, Visani D. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2008; 10(4):461-72.
DSM-IV diagnoses and obstructive sleep apnea in children before and 1 year after adenotonsillectomy. [J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychi...]
DSM-IV diagnoses and obstructive sleep apnea in children before and 1 year after adenotonsillectomy.
Dillon JE, Blunden S, Ruzicka DL, Guire KE, Champine D, Weatherly RA, Hodges EK, Giordani BJ, Chervin RD. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2007 Nov; 46(11):1425-36.

Related information

Related Citations
Calculated set of PubMed citations closely related to the selected article(s) retrieved using a word weight algorithm. Related articles are displayed in ranked order from most to least relevant, with the “linked from” citation displayed first.
Cited in PMC
Full-text articles in the PubMed Central Database that cite the current articles.

Recent activity

Clear Turn Off Turn On

Review of the use of pattern analysis to differentiate true drug and placebo res...
Review of the use of pattern analysis to differentiate true drug and placebo responses.
Psychother Psychosom. 1992 ;58(3-4):170-7.

PubMed
Increased right caudate nucleus size in obsessive-compulsive disorder: detection...
Increased right caudate nucleus size in obsessive-compulsive disorder: detection with magnetic resonance imaging.
Psychiatry Res. 1992 Aug ;45(2):115-21.

PubMed
The hereditary and familial aspects of toxic nodular goitre (secondary thyrotoxi...
The hereditary and familial aspects of toxic nodular goitre (secondary thyrotoxicosis).
Q J Med. 1951 Jul ;20(79):293-7.

PubMed
An exploratory study of syncretic experience: eidetics, synaesthesia and absorpt...
An exploratory study of syncretic experience: eidetics, synaesthesia and absorption.
Perception. 1992 ;21(5):637-42.

PubMed
Probable clinical utility of cation exchange resins.
Probable clinical utility of cation exchange resins.
J Clin Invest. 1951 Sep ;30(9):1027-31.

PubMed

Your browsing activity is empty.

Activity recording is turned off.

Turn recording back on

PubMed

Result Filters

Display Settings:

Send to: