Placebo-controlled study of mianserin in depressed outpatients

Ninety-two outpatients with depressive disorders which met Research Diagnostic Criteria were treated either with mianserin or placebo in a 6-week controlled trial. Twenty-four of 42 (57%) mianserin-treated patients were rated responders to mianserin treatment while 15 of 50 (30%) were rated responders to placebo treatment (chi 2 = 6.89, p less than 0.01). This rate of drug response was comparable to that achieved with a tricyclic antidepressant in a similar study done in our clinic, supporting the use of mianserin in mildly depressed outpatients.