Publication bias in systematic reviews

Abstract

Comments on an article by M. J. Taylor et al. (see record [rid]2006-21397-007[/rid]). The author suggested that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) begin to have observable beneficial effects in depression during the first week of treatment. This result was obtained from the analysis of randomized controlled trials of SSRIs vs placebo that reported outcomes for at least 2 points in the first 4 weeks of treatment. We argue that the criteria of including only studies reporting outcomes for at least 2 points in the first 4 weeks of treatment might have systematically selected positive trials, that is trials showing significant differences between placebo and active drugs during the early phases of the trial. Systematic reviews should routinely include details not reported in scientific journals and data from trials that have never been published; additionally, systematic reviews should increasingly include reanalyzes of individual patient data. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Accession Number: 2007-11071-016. PMID: 17606823 Other Journal Title: A.M.A. Archives of General Psychiatry; JAMA Psychiatry. Partial author list: First Author & Affiliation: Barbui, Corrado; Department of Medicine and Public Health, Section of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy, corrado.barbui@univr.it. Release Date: 20071022. Correction Date: 20130121. Publication Type: Journal (0100), Peer Reviewed Journal (0110). Format Covered: Print. Document Type: Comment/Reply. Language: English. Major Descriptor: Antidepressant Drugs; Drug Therapy; Major Depression; Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. Classification: Clinical Psychopharmacology (3340). Population: Human (10). Page Count: 1. Issue Publication Date: Jul, 2007.