Arch Gen Psychiat
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
A randomized trial of an N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist in treatment-resistant major depression.
Existing therapies for major depression have a lag of onset of action of several weeks, resulting in considerable morbidity. Exploring pharmacological strategies that have rapid onset of antidepressant effects within a few days and that are sustained would have an enormous impact on patient care. Converging lines of evidence suggest the role of the glutamatergic system in the pathophysiology and treatment of mood disorders. ⋯ Robust and rapid antidepressant effects resulted from a single intravenous dose of an N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist; onset occurred within 2 hours postinfusion and continued to remain significant for 1 week.
-
Review Comparative Study
Control group bias in randomized atypical antipsychotic medication trials for schizophrenia.
It has been suggested that the need for concurrent placebo control groups in new schizophrenia studies might be minimized by making comparisons with external placebo. This strategy requires an assumption of constancy, that the novel medication will perform the same way in a study with only active controls as it would have in a placebo-controlled trial. ⋯ The observed control group bias indicates that the constancy assumption does not hold in recent antipsychotic medication trials. These results suggest that caution is indicated when considering active- or low dose-controlled studies requiring comparisons with external placebo as alternatives to placebo-controlled trials for establishing efficacy of new medications for schizophrenia.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder with venlafaxine extended release: a 6-month randomized controlled trial.
No large-scale posttraumatic stress disorder drug trials have been conducted to evaluate treatment effects beyond 12 weeks outside of those with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. ⋯ In this study, venlafaxine ER was effective and well tolerated in short-term and continuation treatment of patients with posttraumatic stress disorder.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
A national study of violent behavior in persons with schizophrenia.
Violent behavior is uncommon, yet problematic, among schizophrenia patients. The complex effects of clinical, interpersonal, and social-environmental risk factors for violence in this population are poorly understood. ⋯ Particular clusters of symptoms may increase or decrease violence risk in schizophrenia patients. Violence risk assessment and management in community-based treatment should focus on combinations of clinical and nonclinical risk factors.