Treatment of adjustment disorders: a comparative evaluation

With the aim of assessing four forms of therapy with adjustment-disordered outpatients, we randomly assigned 70 subjects to the following treatments: supportive psychotherapy (psychoanalytically oriented), viloxazine (an antidepressant), lormetazepam (a benzodiazepine), and S-adenosylmethionine (a methyl donor with antidepressive properties). A further group of 15 subjects received a placebo, orally administered. The trial lasted 4 wk. None of the treatments had clearly superior effects over others on scores on the Zung Self-rating Depression Scale. All produced a significant improvement. However, groups given S-adenosylmethionine and supportive psychotherapy had the highest mean scores.