Cross-sectional networks of depressive symptoms before and after antidepressant medication treatment
Cross-sectional networks of depressive symptoms before and after antidepressant medication treatment
Abstract
Purpose: Recent reviews have questioned the efficacy of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) above placebo response, and their working mechanisms remain unclear. New approaches to understanding the effects of SSRIs are necessary to enhance their efficacy. The aim of this study was to explore the possibilities of using cross-sectional network analysis to increase our understanding of symptom connectivity before and after SSRI treatment. Methods: In two randomized controlled trials (total N = 178), we estimated Gaussian graphical models among 20 symptoms of the Beck Depression Inventory-II before and after 8 weeks of treatment with the SSRI paroxetine. Networks were compared on connectivity, community structure, predictability (proportion explained variance), and strength centrality (i.e., connectedness to other symptoms in the network). Results: Symptom severity for all individual BDI-II symptoms significantly decreased over 8 weeks of SSRI treatment, whereas interconnectivity and predictability of the symptoms significantly increased. At baseline, three communities were detected; five communities were detected at week 8. Conclusions: Findings suggest the effects of SSRIs can be studied using the network approach. The increased connectivity, predictability, and communities at week 8 may be explained by the decrease in depressive symptoms rather than specific effects of SSRIs. Future studies with larger samples and placebo controls are needed to offer insight into the effects of SSRIs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)
Accession Number: 2018-14990-001. PMID: 29627898 Other Journal Title: Social Psychiatry. Partial author list: First Author & Affiliation: Bos, Fionneke M.; Department of Psychiatry, Rob Giel Research Center, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands, f.m.bos01@umcg.nl ORCID: 0000-0002-9630-0440. Release Date: 20180412. Correction Date: 20190613. Publication Type: Journal (0100), Peer Reviewed Journal (0110). Format Covered: Electronic. Document Type: Journal Article. Language: English. Major Descriptor: Antidepressant Drugs; Major Depression; Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; Symptoms. Classification: Clinical Psychopharmacology (3340). Population: Human (10); Male (30); Female (40). Location: US. Age Group: Adulthood (18 yrs & older) (300); Young Adulthood (18-29 yrs) (320); Thirties (30-39 yrs) (340); Middle Age (40-64 yrs) (360); Aged (65 yrs & older) (380). Tests & Measures: Beck Depression Inventory–II DOI: 10.1037/t00742-000; Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression DOI: 10.1037/t04100-000. Methodology: Empirical Study; Interview; Quantitative Study. Supplemental Data: Experimental Materials Internet. References Available: Y. Page Count: 11. Issue Publication Date: Jun, 2018. Publication History: First Posted Date: Apr 7, 2018; Accepted Date: Mar 28, 2018; First Submitted Date: Jan 9, 2018. Copyright Statement: Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Author(s). 2018.
