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  • Title: Improving outcomes in depression: a focus on somatic symptoms.
    Author: McIntyre RS, Konarski JZ, Mancini DA, Zurowski M, Giacobbe P, Soczynska JK, Kennedy SH.
    Journal: J Psychosom Res; 2006 Mar; 60(3):279-82. PubMed ID: 16516660.
    Abstract:
    BACKGROUND: It is hypothesized that somatic symptom alleviation is a significant predictor of overall outcome in depressed primary care patients. METHODS: Depressed primary care patients (N=205) meeting DSM-IV-TR criteria received open-label antidepressant therapy. The primary symptom measurement tool used was the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17), with the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Clinical Global Impression Improvement/Severity (CGI-I/S) used as secondary measures. As proxies for somatic symptoms, 8 items from the HAMD-17 (HAMD-S) and 3 items from the MADRS (MADRS-S) that measure somatic symptoms were identified and extracted. RESULTS: There was a significant correlation between improvement on the HAMD-S score and overall reduction on the MADRS total score (r=.766, P<.001), response (r=.594, P<.001), and remission (r=.552, P<.001). Improvement on the MADRS-S also correlated with overall HAMD-17 improvement (r=.782, P<.001), along with response (r=.649, P<.001) and remission (r=.539, P<.001) rates. Both the HAMD-S and the MADRS-S correlated with global improvement as measured by the CGI-I/S (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: A reciprocal interaction between somatic symptoms and other depressive-symptom domains is implied by this analysis. Clinicians are encouraged to identify, track, and target the somatic symptoms of depressive illnesses.
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