Related Experiment Videos
Does olanzapine have antidepressant properties? A retrospective preliminary study
S N Ghaemi1, E L Cherry, J A Katzow
1Harvard Bipolar Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Consolidated Department of Psychiatry, Boston 02114, USA. nghaemi@partners.org
Bipolar Disorders
|March 21, 2001
Summary
Olanzapine showed moderate effectiveness as an add-on treatment for depressive symptoms in major affective disorders. This atypical antipsychotic may offer mild to moderate antidepressant properties in clinical practice.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Pharmacology
- Clinical Research
Background:
- Mood stabilizers aim for antimanic and antidepressant effects.
- Olanzapine's antimanic data is growing, but antidepressant evidence is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess olanzapine's effectiveness in add-on treatment for major affective disorders, focusing on depressive symptoms.
- To evaluate olanzapine's antidepressant properties in a naturalistic clinical setting.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective chart review of patients with bipolar disorder or unipolar major depressive disorder.
- Patients were treated with olanzapine as an add-on therapy.
- Clinical response assessed using the Clinical Global Impression Scale for Improvement (CGI-I).
Main Results:
- Olanzapine demonstrated moderate effectiveness in 60% of patients.
- Side effects were observed in 80% of patients, with weight gain being most common.
- The study included patients with major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder.
Conclusions:
- Olanzapine shows moderate effectiveness as an adjunctive treatment for depressive symptoms.
- Atypical antipsychotics, including olanzapine, may possess antidepressant properties.
- Further research is warranted to explore the antidepressant potential of olanzapine.