Method
Treatment studies of major depressive disorder were identified
by using computerized searches of the MEDLINE and PsychINFO
databases up to November 2000. The key terms “depressive disorder”
and “major depression” were used with their subheadings
“drug therapy”/“therapy” and “treatment and prevention,” respectively,
for MEDLINE and PsychINFO. This process was complemented
by a manual search of references cited in retrieved
articles and pertinent reviews on the topic. The included studies
1) were published in English-language journals, 2) focused on
adults, 3) used standardized diagnostic criteria for major depressive
disorder, 4) used a multiple-cell randomized, controlled trial
design, and 5) were reported with sufficient data to allow the calculation
of remission percentages. Published articles by the same
research group that focused on the same study group were pooled
to ensure the independence of studies included in our review. Our
inclusion criteria were met by six main articles (21–26) presenting
efficacy data and seven companion articles (27–33) with additional
relevant data.