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Date: July 5, 2002 NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS NEW STUDY FINDS LITTLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EFFECTS OF ANTIDEPRESSANTS AND PLACEBOWASHINGTON --- Psychologist Irving Kirsch and his co-authors analyzed all of the data submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval of the six most widely prescribed antidepressants between 1987 and 1999. They found that approximately 80% of the response to the medications was duplicated in placebo control groups. They believe the difference between the patient's response to medication and response to placebo was small enough to be considered clinically meaningless. However, Kirsch et al. speculate that the true drug effect may be more than the difference between the medication and the placebo. How effective are antidepressants? Kirsch et al.'s thesis is that we really don't know. They submit that either the effects of the medications are very small or being missed by current effectiveness measurements due potentially to the way in which the drug trials are conducted. In commentaries on Kirsch's article other researchers generally agree with his findings but disagree as to why they are occurring. Some argue that antidepressants are being overmarketed and overprescribed. Others suspect the way the drugs are evaluated lead to the finding suggesting that the drug trial procedures themselves increase the placebo response or miss important subgroups of patients who may be best treated by medications. All conclude that better ways to measure the effectiveness of numerous depression treatments including medications, psychosocial factors and psychotherapy are needed. ### Article: "An analysis of Antidepressant Medication Data Submitted to the FDA,". Irving Kirsch, University of Connecticut; Thomas J. Moore, George Washington University; Alan Scoboria and Sarah S. Nicholls, University of Connecticut. Prevention and Treatment, American Psychological Association. Full text available from APA Public Affairs Office or after 7/8/02 at http://journals.apa.org/prevention/ Author Contacts: Thomas Moore, PhD, George Washington University David Antonuccio, PhD, University of Nevada School of Medicine 775 784-6388, ex. 229 Steven Hollon, PhD, Vanderbilt University Michael Thase, MD, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Roger P. Greenberg, PhD, SUNY - Update Medical University The American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC, is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 155,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 53 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting human welfare. # # #
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