Predictors of remission in depression to individual and combined treatments (PReDICT): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Predictors of remission in depression to individual and combined treatments (PReDICT): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Trials, July 2012

22776534

Boadie W Dunlop, Elisabeth B Binder, Joseph F Cubells, Mark M Goodman, Mary E Kelley, Becky Kinkead, Michael Kutner, Charles B Nemeroff, D Jeffrey Newport, Michael J Owens, Thaddeus W W Pace, James C Ritchie, Vivianne Aponte Rivera, Drew Westen, W Edward Craighead, Helen S Mayberg

Limited controlled data exist to guide treatment choices for clinicians caring for patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Although many putative predictors of treatment response have been reported, most were identified through retrospective analyses of existing datasets and very few have been replicated in a manner that can impact clinical practice. One major confound in previous studies examining predictors of treatment response is the patient's treatment history, which may affect both the predictor of interest and treatment outcomes. Moreover, prior treatment history provides an important source of selection bias, thereby limiting generalizability. Consequently, we initiated a randomized clinical trial designed to identify factors that moderate response to three treatments for MDD among patients never treated previously for the condition.