Treatment with SSRIs rather than placebo was associated with clinical improvement by the end of the first week of use .
CONCLUSIONS Treatment with SSRIs is associated with symptomatic improvement in depression by the end of the first week of use , and the improvement continues at a decreasing rate for at least 6 weeks
CONTEXT Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) are often described as having a delayed onset of effect in the treatment of depression .
However , some trials have reported clinical improvement as early as the first week of treatment .
OBJECTIVE To test the alternative hypotheses of delayed vs early onset of antidepressant action with SSRIs in patients with unipolar depression .
The timing, specificity and clinical prediction of tricyclic drug effects in depression.
This research was aim ed at study ing the rate of action of tricyclic drugs in depressive disorders , specifying the behavioural effects associated with recovery , and predicting clinical response . The research design involved comparison of a recovered group with a group treated for the equivalent four weeks , who showed minimal to no response . The findings indicated significant differences in baseline characteristics between responders and non-responders . Further , the drugs were found to act early in the responders , within the first week of treatment . Specific changes at one week which distinguished responder and non-responder groups occurred in the disturbed affects , and in cognitive functioning . Improvements also occurred in somatic symptoms , but these latter changes were general and not associated with later recovery . At 2 1/2 weeks , all facets of the depressed condition showed positive change in the responders . Implication s of the results for assessing rate of tricyclic drug actions , their effects on the interaction of affect and neurochemistry , and the practical application of the results for the clinical situation , are discussed
Treatment with SSRIs rather than placebo was associated with clinical improvement by the end of the first week of use .
CONCLUSIONS Treatment with SSRIs is associated with symptomatic improvement in depression by the end of the first week of use , and the improvement continues at a decreasing rate for at least 6 weeks
CONTEXT Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) are often described as having a delayed onset of effect in the treatment of depression .
However , some trials have reported clinical improvement as early as the first week of treatment .
OBJECTIVE To test the alternative hypotheses of delayed vs early onset of antidepressant action with SSRIs in patients with unipolar depression .