There were some beneficial effects compared to placebo or antidepressants but tolerability was worse .
Quetiapine was more effective than placebo treatment .
Aripiprazole and quetiapine and partly also olanzapine and risperidone augmentation showed beneficial effects compared to placebo .
Some evidence indicated beneficial effects of low-dose amisulpride for dysthymic people .
Most SGAs showed worse tolerability
BACKGROUND Major depressive disorder ( MDD ) is a common condition with a lifetime prevalence of 15 % to 18 % , which leads to considerable suffering and disability .
Some antipsychotics have been reported to induce remission in major depression , when added to an antidepressant .
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effects of second-generation antipsychotic ( SGA ) drugs ( alone or augmentation ) compared with placebo or antidepressants for people with MDD or dysthymia .
Ziprasidone augmentation of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for SSRI-resistant major depressive disorder.
BACKGROUND Due to their favorable side-effect profile , atypical antipsychotic agents offer important therapeutic advantages in mood disorders .  Ziprasidone , an atypical antipsychotic agent with strong 5-HT(1A ) agonist activity , may be particularly useful when used in conjunction with st and ard antidepressants in treatment-resistant depression . The purpose of this study is to test this hypothesis in depressed out patients who have not experienced significant clinical improvement following an adequate trial of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor ( SSRI ) . METHOD Twenty patients with major depressive disorder ( MDD ) who had failed to experience a clinical response to an adequate trial of an SSRI were treated with open-label ziprasidone in addition to their SSRI for 6 weeks between February 2002 and December 2002 . MDD was diagnosed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I disorders . Clinical response was defined as a 50 % or greater decrease in depressive symptoms during the course of the trial ( baseline to endpoint ) , as measured by the HAM-D-17 total score . RESULTS Thirteen of 20 patients ( 65.0 % ) completed the trial . Using a completer analysis , 8 patients ( 61.5 % ) were classified as responders . An intent-to-treat ( ITT ) analysis result ed in 10 responders ( 50.0 % ) . The overall proportion of remitters was 5 of 13 ( 38.5 % ) using a completer analysis and 5 of 20 ( 25.0 % ) using the ITT analysis . Ziprasidone administration appeared to be safe , with no clinical ly significant QTc prolongation or severe adverse events observed in any of the study participants . CONCLUSION These results suggest a possible augmentation role for ziprasidone when used in conjunction with SSRIs in SSRI-resistant MDD
There were some beneficial effects compared to placebo or antidepressants but tolerability was worse .
Quetiapine was more effective than placebo treatment .
Aripiprazole and quetiapine and partly also olanzapine and risperidone augmentation showed beneficial effects compared to placebo .
Some evidence indicated beneficial effects of low-dose amisulpride for dysthymic people .
Most SGAs showed worse tolerability
BACKGROUND Major depressive disorder ( MDD ) is a common condition with a lifetime prevalence of 15 % to 18 % , which leads to considerable suffering and disability .
Some antipsychotics have been reported to induce remission in major depression , when added to an antidepressant .
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effects of second-generation antipsychotic ( SGA ) drugs ( alone or augmentation ) compared with placebo or antidepressants for people with MDD or dysthymia .