Differential effectiveness of newer and older antidepressants appears mediated by an age effect on the phenotypic expression of depression.

Parker G. Differential effectiveness of newer and older antidepressants appears mediated by an age effect on the phenotypic expression of depression. Acta Psychiatr Scand 2002: 106: 168–170. © Blackwell Munksgaard 2002. Objective: A possible mechanism whereby the serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants may not (overall) be as effective as the tricyclic (TCA) antidepressants is explored. Method: Clinical psychiatrists rated the effectiveness of past antidepressant medications in a clinical panel study of patients with a major depressive disorder, with 200 having previously received a TCA and 219 an SSRI. Results: Analyses indicated decreased SSRI effectiveness with age in those with the melancholic subtype. TCA effectiveness appeared uninfluenced by age and depressive subtype. Conclusion: Findings suggest why the broader-based TCAs may be more effective than the SSRIs in implicating age and depressive subtype influences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]