Table 1.
Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of the Patients at Baseline.*
| Characteristic | Step 1 | Step 2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aripiprazole-Augmentation Group (N = 211) | Bupropion-Augmentation Group (N = 206) | Switch-to-Bupropion Group (N = 202) | Lithium-Augmentation Group (N = 127) | Switch-to-Nortriptyline Group (N = 121) | |
| Age — yr | 69.1±6.5 | 69.1±7.1 | 69.7±7.7 | 69.0±6.0 | 68.0±5.7 |
| Female sex — no. (%) | 144 (68.2) | 142 (68.9) | 127 (62.9) | 90 (70.9) | 83 (68.6) |
| Race — no. (%)† | |||||
| White | 173 (82.0) | 174 (84.5) | 175 (86.6) | 116 (91.3) | 106 (87.6) |
| Black | 16 (7.6) | 17 (8.3) | 13 (6.4) | 7 (5.5) | 4 (3.3) |
| Other | 22 (10.4) | 15 (7.3) | 14 (6.9) | 4 (3.1) | 11 (9.1) |
| Ethnic group — no. (%)† | |||||
| Hispanic or Latino | 22 (10.4) | 17 (8.3) | 13 (6.4) | 3 (2.4) | 10 (8.3) |
| Other | 189 (89.6) | 189 (91.7) | 189 (93.6) | 124 (97.6) | 111 (91.7) |
| Education | |||||
| No. of patients evaluated | 208 | 203 | 198 | 121 | 120 |
| Mean — yr | 14.4±3.0 | 14.4±3.0 | 15.1±2.8 | 15.3±2.6 | 14.6±2.8 |
| PHQ-9 score‡ | 16.2±4.2 | 15.9±4.1 | 15.2±4.4 | 14.4±4.3 | 14.4±4.4 |
| No. of adequate trials of antidepressant treatment§ | 2.3±0.8 | 2.2±0.7 | 2.4±0.9 | 2.5±0.9 | 2.6±1.1 |
| Age at first onset of MDD | |||||
| No. of patients evaluated | 192 | 182 | 186 | 101 | 103 |
| Mean — yr | 30.5±19.1 | 34.5±21.3 | 33.0±20.3 | 30.3±18.8 | 29.0±19.3 |
| CIRS-G total score¶ | |||||
| No. of patients evaluated | 207 | 206 | 201 | 127 | 121 |
| Mean score | 8.8±4.9 | 8.7±4.7 | 8.7±4.7 | 8.3±4.4 | 8.1±4.1 |
| Falls during past 6 mo — no./total no. (%) | |||||
| 0 | 117/208 (56.2) | 130/204 (63.7) | 117/199 (58.8) | 76/127 (59.8) | 79/120 (65.8) |
| ≥1 | 91/208 (43.8) | 74/204 (36.3) | 82/199 (41.2) | 51/127 (40.2) | 41/120 (34.2) |
Plus–minus values are means ±SD. Percentages may not total 100 because of rounding. MDD denotes major depressive disorder.
Race and ethnic group were reported by the patients.
Scores on the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) range from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating greater severity of symptoms.
Adequate trials met criteria for minimal adequate dose and treatment duration. Psychotherapy treatment was not considered to indicate a failed antidepressant trial. Data were collected at trial entry; for step 2 patients, the trial drugs received in step 1 were not included.
The Cumulative Illness Rating Scale–Geriatric (CIRS-G) instrument captures information about the severity of physical problems divided into 14 categories based on body system (e.g., vascular, renal, and neurologic). Ratings for the severity of each category range from 0 to 4, with higher scores indicating greater severity. Scores for each category are added to calculate the total score (range, 0 to 56).