These patients were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 maintenance therapy conditions. Main Outcome Measure Recurrence of major depressive episode. Results The time to recurrence of a major depressive episode for all 3 active treatments was significantly better than for placebo. Subjects aged 70 years and older had a higher and more rapid rate of recurrence than those aged 60 to 69 years. Conclusion In geriatric patients with recurrent major depression, maintenance treatment with nortriptyline or IPT is superior to placebo in preventing or delaying recurrence.
Combined treatment using both appears to be the optimal clinical strategy in preserving recovery.
All rights reserved.