Reboxetine: its effects as measured by the Social Adaptation Self-evaluation Scale

The determination of the outcome of treatment for depression is important both for the symptoms of depression and social functioning. The aim of this review is to evaluate the outcome of two clinical trials comparing reboxetine and fluoxetine on depressive symptoms and social functioning. These studies used both conventional measures of outcome such as the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) and the Social Adaptation Self-evaluation Scale (SASS), a patient-centred, disease non-specific scale of social functioning, which was developed for measuring social functioning in depressed people. These findings, set against a background of all studies in which antidepressants have been compared using quality of life instruments, suggest that while some patients may appear to the clinician to have recovered, they may remain less than fully well and differences in selectivity for neurotransmitter systems may play a part in the degree of wellbeing that recovered patients might expect.