Kathleen Bingham

Relationship Between Cerebrovascular Risk, Cognition, and Treatment Outcome in Late-Life Psychotic Depression

OBJECTIVE To examine whether cerebrovascular risk, executive function, and processing speed are associated with acute treatment outcome of psychotic depression in older adults. METHODS The authors analyzed data from 142 persons aged 60 years or older with major depression with psychotic features who participated in a 12-week randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing olanzapine plus sertraline with olanzapine plus placebo. The independent variables were baseline cerebrovascular risk (Framingham Stroke Risk Score), baseline executive function (Stroop interference score and the initiation/perseveration subscale of the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale), and baseline processing speed (color and word reading components of the Stroop). The outcome variable was change in severity of depression, measured by the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale total score, during the course of the RCT. RESULTS Greater baseline cerebrovascular risk was significantly associated with less improvement in depression severity over time, after controlling for pertinent covariates. Neither executive function nor processing speed predicted outcome. CONCLUSION This study suggests an association of cerebrovascular risk, but not executive function or processing speed, with treatment outcome of major depression with psychotic features in older adults.

A Systematic Review of the Measurement of Function in Late-Life Depression

Recovery of everyday premorbid function is a primary goal in the treatment of depression. Measurement of function is an important part of achieving this goal. A multitude of scales have been used to measure function in depression, reflecting the complex, multifaceted nature of functioning. Currently, however, there are no evidence-based guidelines to assist the researcher or clinician in deciding which instruments are best suited to measure function in late-life depression (LLD). Thus, the aims of this study are to 1) systematically review and identify the instrumental activities of daily living and social functioning assessment instruments used in the LLD literature; 2) identify and appraise the measurement properties of these instruments; and 3) suggest factors for LLD researchers and clinicians to consider when selecting functional assessment instruments and make pertinent recommendations. We performed a systematic review of MEDLINE and CINAHL to identify studies that i) incorporated subjects aged 60 years and older with a depressive disorder, and ii) measured instrumental activities of daily living and/or social functioning. Our search yielded 21 functional assessment instruments. Only two of these instruments, the 36-Item Short Form Survey and the Performance Assessment of Self-Care Skills, have formal validation data in LLD. Four additional instruments, although not formally validated, have relevant data regarding their measurement properties. The primary finding of this study is that very few functional assessment instruments have been validated in LLD, and the available measurement property data are mixed; there is a need for further instrument validation in late-life depression. With this caveat in mind, we provide evidence-based suggestions for researchers and clinicians assessing functioning in LLD patients.

The Association of Baseline Suicidality With Treatment Outcome in Psychotic Depression

OBJECTIVE To examine the association between baseline suicidality and outcome of major depression in a randomized controlled trial of the pharmacotherapy of psychotic depression and to explore the interaction of suicidality, randomized treatment assignment, and depression outcome. METHODS This study was a secondary analysis of data from 258 persons aged 18 years or older with DSM-IV-defined major depressive disorder with psychotic features who participated in a 12-week randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing olanzapine plus sertraline with olanzapine plus placebo (the Study of the Pharmacotherapy of Psychotic Depression [STOP-PD], which ran from 2002 to 2007). The independent variable was baseline suicidality, defined by 4 groups (suicide attempt in the current episode, active suicidal ideation, passive suicidal ideation, and no suicidality). The outcome variables were change in 16-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS₁₆) total score (excluding the suicide item) over time and remission of psychotic depression over time. RESULTS Suicidality groups did not significantly differ on baseline HDRS₁₆ total score. Baseline suicidality group was significantly associated with change in HDRS₁₆ score over time in the sample as a whole (F₃,₁₃₉₄ = 8.17; P < .0001), but was not significantly associated with probability of remission over time. Among participants assigned to olanzapine and placebo, persons with no suicidality had a significantly greater reduction in HDRS₁₆ total score compared to those with passive suicidal ideation (7.5-point difference in change scores between the 2 groups; 95% CI, 4.3-10.7 t₁₃₉₄ = 4.61, P < .0001), active suicidal ideation (4.4 points; 95% CI, 1.4-7.4; t₁₃₉₄ = 2.85, P = .0176), or suicide attempts (6.1 points; 95% CI, 2.8-9.4; t₁₃₉₄ = 3.66, P = .0015). The 12-week change from baseline in HDRS₁₆ score for patients with no suicidality was not significantly different between the 2 treatment arms. However, the 12-week HDRS₁₆ improvement was significantly greater in the olanzapine plus sertraline arm, compared with the olanzapine plus placebo arm, for patients with suicide attempts (8.7-point difference in change scores between the 2 groups; 95% CI, 5.1-12.4; t₁₃₉₄ = 4.75, P < .0001), active suicidal ideation (8.1 points; 95% CI, 4.5-11.7; t₁₃₉₄ = 4.38, P < .0001), or passive suicidal ideation (5.7 points; 95% CI, 2.2-9.2; t₁₃₉₄ = 3.23, P = .0012), respectively. CONCLUSIONS Baseline suicidality predicted worse acute treatment outcome of psychotic depression. However, participants with suicidality had a better outcome when treated with the combination of olanzapine and sertraline than when treated with olanzapine plus placebo. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00056472​.

Stabilization treatment of remitted psychotic depression: the STOP-PD study

We conducted a 12‐week double‐blind study of stabilization pharmacotherapy in patients with remitted psychotic depression (PD).