Patel 2013.

Methods	Randomized controlled trial. Randomization method: computer generated list of random numbers. Power: no power calculation reported. Analysis: ITT with LOCF.
Participants	Country: India. Setting: people with HIV in an "outpatient department with symptoms of depression." Recruitment: uncertain recruitment method. Inclusion criteria: PLWH and on ART for ≥ 6 months, aged ≥ 18 years, meeting DSM‐IV criteria for major depression; HAM‐D score > 13; MADRS score > 19. Exclusion criteria: pregnant or nursing women; hypersensitivity to TCAs or SSRIs, previous use of mirtazapine or escitalopram, history of consumption of any psychotropic medication in past 4 weeks, history of seizures, bipolar disorder or other primary psychiatric diagnosis or abnormal laboratory results or serious disease. Failure of previous antidepressant regimens was not an exclusion criterion in this study. Number randomized: 70. Number dropped out: 8 dropped out by 8 weeks (11.4%). Age (mean): escitalopram: 37.9 years; mirtazapine: 36.8 years. Gender: 30 (43%) men. Baseline HAM‐D score (mean): escitalopram: 36 (SD 6); mirtazapine: 38 (SD 7). CD4 T‐cell count: unknown. ART: 100% receiving HAART. Ethnicity: unknown. Socioeconomic details: unknown.
Interventions	Experimental arm: mirtazapine 15 mg once daily (titrated up to 30 mg daily); titrated up from initial dose if improvement < 20% in HAM‐D and MADRS at 4 weeks, downtitrated to 5 mg daily if any adverse effects reported. Comparison arm: escitalopram 10 mg once daily (titrated up to 20 mg daily); titrated up from initial dose if improvement < 20% in HAM‐D and MADRS at 4 weeks, and downtitrated to 7.5 mg daily if any adverse effects reported. Duration: 8 weeks.
Outcomes	All outcome assessments were carried out at baseline and 2 weekly assessments for 8 weeks. Primary outcomes: improvement in depression: 17‐item HAM‐D, CGI‐I, CGI‐S, MADRS; number of dropouts. Secondary outcome: adverse effects: recorded on adverse effect form (no specific tool used).
Notes	Date of study: not reported Funding: not reported Declaration of conflict of interest by authors: not reported
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Low risk	Computer generated list of random numbers.
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Not reported.
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Unblinded study but comparison was between 2 known effective antidepressants and not placebo, therefore may not have biased the study outcomes.
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Unblinded study but comparison was between 2 known effective antidepressants and not placebo, therefore may not have biased the study outcomes.
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Low risk	8 (11%) dropouts all lost to follow‐up (5 in escitalopram group; 3 in mirtazapine group).
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Low risk	All relevant outcomes reported. Protocol not assessed.
Other bias	Low risk	None noted.