Melanie M. Biggs

TL;DR: The response and remission rates in this highly generalizable sample with substantial axis I and axis III comorbidity closely resemble those seen in 8-week efficacy trials.

TL;DR: STAR*D as discussed by the authors is a multisite, prospective, randomized, multistep clinical trial of outpatients with nonpsychotic major depressive disorder, which compared various treatment options for those who do not attain a satisfactory response with citalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressant.

TL;DR: Augmentation of citalopram with either sustained-release bupropion or buspirone appears to be useful in actual clinical settings, including a greater reduction in the number and severity of symptoms and fewer side effects and adverse events.

TL;DR: After unsuccessful treatment with an SSRI, approximately one in four patients had a remission of symptoms after switching to another antidepressant, suggesting any one of the medications in the study provided a reasonable second-step choice for patients with depression.

TL;DR: Remission was significantly less likely and took longer to occur in these patients than in those with nonanxious depression, and ratings of side effect frequency, intensity, and burden, as well as the number of serious adverse events, were significantly greater in the anxious depression group.