Response to antidepressants in major depressive disorder with melancholic features: the CRESCEND study

This study aimed to determine whether major depressive disorders with melancholic and without melancholic features differ with respect to their responses to treatment with antidepressants.

From a nationwide sample of 18 hospitals in South Korea, 559 presenting patients with major depressive disorder were recruited. The DSM-IV based Structured Clinical Interview was administered for confirmatory diagnoses and depression subtypes with/without melancholic features. After baseline evaluation, they received naturalistic clinician-determined antidepressant interventions. Assessment scales for evaluating depression (HAMD), anxiety (HAMA), global severity (CGI-s), and functioning (SOFAS) were administered at baseline and re-evaluated at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks later.

At baseline, the 243 (43.5%) participants with melancholic features were more likely to have a previous history of depression, and had higher HAMA and lower SOFAS scores. After adjustment for baseline status, participants with melancholic features were more likely to achieve and to experience shorter times to CGI-s remission and associated with an enhanced global symptomatic remission with any antidepressant treatment. They were more likely to achieve and to experience shorter times to CGI-s remission and this difference was strongest in those receiving selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants treatment.

The study was observational, and the treatment modality was naturalistic.

These findings suggest a faster and more evident global response to pharmacotherapy in melancholia compared to other depressive syndromes, particularly where SSRI agents are used.