The primary purpose of this study is to compare the short (12 week) and long-term (1-year) efficacy and the tolerability between stepwise psychopharmacotherapy and antidepressant monotherapy for 12 weeks in adult patients with major depressive disorders, stratified by the multimodal serum biomarker scores.
This is prospective randomized controlled trials (RCT) to evaluate clinical impact of antidepressant monotherapy vs stepwise psychopharmacotherapy in patients with major depressive disorders, stratified by multimodal serum biomarker scores. Participants will be predicted treatment response based on the multimodal serum biomarker scores at baseline, will be categorized into good and poor treatment responders and then randomly assigned to two groups: stepwise pharmacotherapy group and antidepressant monotherapy group. The hypothesis is that in the good treatment responder, the depression remission will be achieved irrespective of treatment modality (stepwise pharmacotherapy or antidepressant monotherapy) group while in poor treatment responders, the treatment response of stepwise pharmacotherapy will be superior to those of antidepressant monotherapy.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE
Enrollment
400
In the stepwise pharmacotherapy group, treatment strategies (augmentation with antipsychotics (aripiprazole), augmentation with mood stabilizer (lithium),combination (mirtazapine)) will be determined every 3 weeks.
In the antidepressant monotherapy group, dosage escalation will be determined every 3 weeks.
Chonnam National University Hospital
Gwangju, South Korea
RECRUITINGRemission and treatment response status by Hamilton Depression Rating Scale
Remission defined by total scores of Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (0-52; higher score indicates severe symptom) ≤7 and treatment response defined as ≥50% decrease in the baseline total scores of Hamilton Depression Rating Scale after stepwise psychopharmacotherapy or antidepressant monotherapy
Time frame: From baseline to 12 week, 1 year
The changes of Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression total score
To measure the change of the severity of depressive symptoms using observer rating scale after stepwise psychopharmacotherapy or antidepressant monotherapy
Time frame: From baseline to 12 week, 1 year
The changes of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale total score, depression subscore, anxiety subscore
The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale will be used to measure the change of the severity of depressive symptoms using observer rating scale after stepwise psychopharmacotherapy or antidepressant monotherapy. This scale consists of 14 items with a total score ranging from 0 to 42 and divided into two subscales: 7 items of the anxiety subscale (HADS-A) and 7 items of the depression subscale (HADS-D). Higher scores indicate more severe symptoms.
Time frame: From baseline to 12 week, 1 year
The changes of Clinical Global Impression-severity and improvement score
The Clinical Global Impression-severity and improvement score is used to measure the change of the global severity and improvement of depressive symptoms after stepwise psychopharmacotherapy or antidepressant monotherapy. This scale is rated on the following seven-point scale: 1=normal, not at all ill; 2=borderline mentally ill; 3=mildly ill; 4=moderately ill; 5=markedly ill; 6=severely ill; 7=among the most extremely ill patients. Higher scores indicate more severe psychopathology.
Time frame: From baseline to 12 week, 1 year
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The changes of Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale suicide item score
Suicidality was evaluated with the suicide-related items on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale which assesses the level of 18 symptom constructs such as hostility, suspiciousness, hallucination, and grandiosity. Among the 18 items, suicide item that ranges from 1 (not present) to 7 (extremely severe) will be used to measure the change sof suicidality after stepwise psychopharmacotherapy or antidepressant monotherapy.
Time frame: From baseline to 12 week, 1 year
The changes of EuroQol-5 Dimension score
To measure the change of quality of life status after stepwise psychopharmacotherapy or antidepressant monotherapy, EuroQol-5 Dimension is used. This scale has five descriptive questions which may have one of three-level answers and a visual analog scale (VAS) on which patients can mark their current health state. visual analog scale (VAS) on which patients can mark their current health state. The 5 Dimension (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression) have three levels of functioning each (no problems, some problems, and unable to/extreme problems) while the visual analog scale ranges from 0 (worst imaginable health state) to 100 (best imaginable health state).
Time frame: From baseline to 12 week, 1 year
The changes of Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale score
To measure the change of the social and occupational function after stepwise psychopharmacotherapy or antidepressant monotherapy, Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale is used that ranges from 0 to 100, with lower scores representing lower functioning.
Time frame: From baseline to 12 week
Number of Participants With Treatment-emergent Adverse Events (TEAEs) in the Treatment Period
An adverse event (AE) is any untoward medical occurrence in a patient or clinical investigation participant administered a pharmaceutical product and which does not necessarily have a causal relationship with this treatment. An adverse event can therefore be any unfavorable and unintended sign (i.e. laboratory value), symptom, or disease temporally associated with the use of a medicinal product, whether or not related to the medicinal product. A TEAE is an AE that occurs or worsens after receiving study drug
Time frame: First dose of study drug to last dose of study drug in the 26-week Treatment Period and 1 year after baseline