Quantitative analysis of speech behavior of depressed patients under a drug therapy

Reduced speech activity is an important nonverbal symptom of retarded depressions. But speech patterns are also related to many other factors. Under an antidepressive drug treatment the speech behavior could be influenced not only by the therapeutic improvement but also by special pharmacological side effects. In a double-blind trial 21 endogenously depressed inpatients were treated with amitriptyline or pirlindol. Diagnostic interviews with the patients were recorded on TV-tapes on day 0, 4, 7, 14, 21 and 28. To investigate the psychopathological changes the tapes were analyzed under time-blind conditions. The AMP documented results of these ratings showed significantly better therapeutic effects in the amitriptyline-group than in the pirlindol-group. To study speech variables the tapes were computer analyzed. After 4 weeks the degree of improvement in the total group of patients was significantly correlated with the reduced length of speech pauses of both patients and interviewers. On the other hand remarkable drug influences in the course of speech variables were found. These could be interpreted as specific pharmacological effects.