See

discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: http://www.researchgate.net/publication/7380304

Evaluation of Outcomes With Citalopram for

Depression Using Measurement-Based Care in
STAR*D: Implications for Clinical Practice
ARTICLE in AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY JANUARY 2006
Impact Factor: 13.56 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.163.1.28 Source: PubMed

CITATIONS

1,262

14 AUTHORS, INCLUDING:
Madhukar H Trivedi

Diane Warden

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Ce

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Ce

429 PUBLICATIONS 20,254 CITATIONS

68 PUBLICATIONS 6,107 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

SEE PROFILE

Kathy Shores-Wilson

Maurizio Fava

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Ce

Massachusetts General Hospital

52 PUBLICATIONS 5,118 CITATIONS

524 PUBLICATIONS 20,930 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

SEE PROFILE

Available from: Madhukar H Trivedi

Retrieved on: 31 August 2015

Article

Evaluation of Outcomes With Citalopram for Depression

Using Measurement-Based Care in STAR*D:
Implications for Clinical Practice
Madhukar H. Trivedi, M.D.
A. John Rush, M.D.
Stephen R. Wisniewski, Ph.D.
Andrew A. Nierenberg, M.D.
Diane Warden, Ph.D., M.B.A.
Louise Ritz, M.B.A.
Grayson Norquist, M.D.
Robert H. Howland, M.D.
Barry Lebowitz, Ph.D.
Patrick J. McGrath, M.D.
Kathy Shores-Wilson, Ph.D.
Melanie M. Biggs, Ph.D.
G.K. Balasubramani, Ph.D.
Maurizio Fava, M.D.
STAR*D Study Team

Objective: Selective serotonin reuptake

inhibitors (SSRIs) are widely used to treat
depression, but the rates, timing, and baseline predictors of remission in real world
patients are not established. The authors
primary objectives in this study were to
evaluate the effectiveness of citalopram,
an SSRI, using measurement-based care in
actual practice, and to identify predictors
of symptom remission in outpatients with
major depressive disorder.
Method: This clinical study included outpatients with major depressive disorder
who were treated in 23 psychiatric and 18
primary care real world settings. The patients received flexible doses of citalopram
prescribed by clinicians for up to 14 weeks.
The clinicians were assisted by a clinical research coordinator in the application of
measurement-based care, which included
the routine measurement of symptoms
and side effects at each treatment visit and
the use of a treatment manual that described when and how to modify medication doses based on these measures. Remission was defined as an exit score of 7
on the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) (primary outcome) or a
score of 5 on the 16-item Quick Inventory
of Depressive Symptomatology, Self-Report (QIDS-SR) (secondary outcome). Response was defined as a reduction of 50%
in baseline QIDS-SR score.

Results: Nearly 80% of the 2,876 outpatients in the analyzed sample had chronic
or recurrent major depression; most also
had a number of comorbid general medical and psychiatric conditions. The mean
exit citalopram dose was 41.8 mg/day. Remission rates were 28% (HAM-D) and 33%
(QIDS-SR). The response rate was 47%
(QIDS-SR). Patients in primary and psychiatric care settings did not differ in remission or response rates. A substantial portion of participants who achieved either
response or remission at study exit did so
at or after 8 weeks of treatment. Participants who were Caucasian, female, employed, or had higher levels of education
or income had higher HAM-D remission
rates; longer index episodes, more concurrent psychiatric disorders (especially anxiety disorders or drug abuse), more general
medical disorders, and lower baseline
function and quality of life were associated
with lower HAM-D remission rates.
Conclusions: The response and remission rates in this highly generalizable sample with substantial axis I and axis III comorbidity closely resemble those seen in
8-week efficacy trials. The systematic use
of easily implemented measurementbased care procedures may have assisted
in achieving these results.
(Am J Psychiatry 2006; 163:2840)

emission, the virtual absence of symptoms, is the

aim of depression treatment because it is associated with
better function and a better prognosis than is response
without remission. Response is typically defined as a clinically meaningful reduction in symptoms (e.g., a reduction
of at least 50% in baseline symptom levels). However, response that falls short of remission is suboptimal because
it is associated with continued disabling symptoms, negative effects on other axis I and axis III disorders, higher
rates of relapse and recurrence, poorer work productivity,
more impaired psychosocial functioning, higher levels of
health care use, and potentially higher risk for suicide. Remission, on the other hand, is associated with return of
normal psychosocial function, higher rates of sustained

28

http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org

remission, lower rates of relapse, lower risk of suicide and

alcohol/drug abuse, and lack of disabling symptoms (13).
Few efficacy studies, even in research settings, have employed remission as an outcome (47). Remission rates
from research-based, 8-week, randomized, placebo-controlled efficacy trials with depressed, symptomatic volunteers range from 25% to 40% (4), and 12-week efficacy trials with subjects suffering from chronic depression reveal
even more modest remission rates of 22%30% (8, 9).
Results from these efficacy trials lack ecological validity
and generalizability to clinical practice (10, 11). Typically,
they enroll symptomatic volunteers (often recruited through
advertising) with uncomplicated (minimal comorbid general medical or psychiatric conditions), nonchronic, nonAm J Psychiatry 163:1, January 2006

TRIVEDI, RUSH, WISNIEWSKI, ET AL.

substance-abusing, nonsuicidal depression and treat in

research clinics as opposed to enrolling patients already
seeking health care in typical clinical treatment settings.
Unfortunately, no large-scale antidepressant medication
trials have evaluated safety, efficacy, and tolerability in
real world primary or psychiatric care settings with remission as the predefined primary endpoint.
Evidence from practice settings (12) also demonstrates
that antidepressant medication treatment is often inadequate in dose and/or duration and that there are unacceptably high dropout ratesall of which likely contribute
to lower remission rates. In the available effectiveness trials conducted in real clinical practice settings, even the
addition of depression care specialists leads to modest remission rates (15% to 35%) (10, 13, 14).
The Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) study was designed to assess effectiveness of treatments in generalizable samples and ensure
the delivery of adequate treatments. The study aimed to
define the symptomatic outcomes for outpatients with
nonpsychotic major depressive disorder treated initially
with citalopram, a prototype of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The primary outcome was remission. Adequate doses of citalopram had to be given for
a sufficient time period to ensure that an adequate treatment trial was conducted to assess efficacy in representative practice settings and to ensure that those patients
who progressed to the next treatment step in STAR*D were
truly treatment resistant. To that end, a systematic but
easily implemented approach to treatment, measurement-based care, was developed. Measurement-based
care includes the routine measurement of symptoms and
side effects at each treatment visit and the use of a treatment manual describing when and how to modify medication doses based on these measures. The manual allows
for flexible dosing and was designed to maximize adequate dosing and duration of treatment.
Finally, since most depressed patients do not achieve remission with any initial treatment, baseline features (moderators) that identify who will achieve remission (15, 16)
are clinically important. With a rare exception (17), no adequately powered previous studies have searched for baseline features predicting which patients will achieve remission as opposed to those who will respond to treatment.
Response moderator studies with small samples have
yielded inconsistent correlates of response (18), except for
pretreatment depressive symptom severity, which has
been associated consistently with lower response rates
(1935). Therefore, STAR*D also aimed to evaluate moderators of symptom remission.
This study defined remission as the a priori primary
endpoint and divided baseline moderators into three domains: 1) demographic features (e.g., age, race, ethnicity,
and gender), 2) social features (e.g., education, employment status, income, insurance, and marital status), and
3) clinical features (e.g., age at onset of major depressive
Am J Psychiatry 163:1, January 2006

disorder, length of the current major depressive episode,

number of major depressive episodes, length of illness,
course of illness [single or recurrent], major depressive
disorder subtype [anxious, melancholic, and atypical features], family history of depression, concurrent general
medical and axis I psychiatric disorders, symptom severity, and functional status at baseline).
This report addresses the following questions about
treatment with citalopram, a representative of the SSRI
class of medications:
1. What are the remission and response rates in representative outpatients with nonpsychotic major depressive
disorder in primary and psychiatric care settings?
2. Which citalopram doses, treatment durations, and
adverse events characterize patients who do or do
not achieve remission?
3. What pretreatment features in demographic, social,
and clinical domains are associated with remission?

Method
Study Overview and Organization
The rationale, methods, and design of the STAR*D study have
been detailed elsewhere (7, 36). Investigators at each of 14 regional centers across the United States oversaw protocol implementation at two to four clinical sites providing primary (N=18)
or psychiatric (N=23) care to patients in both the public and private sectors. Clinical research coordinators at each clinical site assisted participants and clinicians in protocol implementation
and collection of clinical measures. A central pool of research outcome assessors conducted telephone interviews to obtain primary outcomes.

Participants
All risks, benefits, and adverse events associated with STAR*D
participation were explained to subjects, who provided written informed consent before entering the study. The University of Texas
Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and the institutional review boards at each clinical site and regional center and the Data
Coordinating Center and the Data Safety and Monitoring Board of
the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) approved and
monitored the protocol.
To maximize generalizability of findings, only patients seeking
medical care in routine medical or psychiatric outpatient treatment (as opposed to those recruited through advertisements)
were eligible for the study. Minimal exclusion criteria and broad
inclusion criteria that allowed a majority of axis I and axis II disorders were used. Outpatients who were 1875 years of age and had
a nonpsychotic major depressive disorder determined by a baseline 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) (37, 38)
score 14 were eligible if their clinicians determined that outpatient treatment with an antidepressant medication was both safe
and indicated. The initial HAM-D at study entry was administered
and scored by the clinical research coordinators. Patients who
were pregnant or breast-feeding and those with a primary diagnosis of bipolar, psychotic, obsessive-compulsive, or eating disorders
were excluded from the study, as were those with general medical
conditions contraindicating the use of protocol medications in the
first two treatment steps, substance dependence (only if it required inpatient detoxification), or a clear history of nonresponse
or intolerance (in the current major depressive episode) to any
protocol antidepressant in the first two treatment steps (7).
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org

29

MEASUREMENT-BASED CARE IN STAR*D

FIGURE 1. Participant Flow (CONSORT Chart) for the
Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression
(STAR*D) Study

Screened
(N=4,790)

Not offered consent

or refused to consent
(N=613)

Consented
(N=4,177)

Ineligible
(N=136)

Eligible
(N=4,041)

HAM-D score <14a

(N=607) or HAM-D
missing (N=324)

HAM-D score 14
(N=3,110)

Failed to return
(N=234)

Eligible for analysis

(N=2,876)

Study exit
(N=592)

Moved to follow-up
(N=1,083)

Moved to level 2
(N=1,201)

HAM-D=17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.

Diagnostic and Outcome Measures

The diagnosis of nonpsychotic major depressive disorder,
established by treating clinicians, was confirmed by a checklist
based on DSM-IV criteria. Previous personal and family histories
as well as clinical and demographic information were based on
participant self-report. The Psychiatric Diagnostic Screening
Questionnaire (3941) was completed at baseline to estimate the
presence of 11 potential concurrent axis I (psychiatric) disorders.
Responses to items on the baseline 30-item Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology or HAM-D (37, 38) obtained by research
outcome assessors were used to estimate the presence of atypical
(42), anxious (43), and melancholic (44) symptom features.
Clinical research coordinators administered an initial HAM-D
and the 16-item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology
(QIDS), QIDS Clinician Rating (QIDS-C), and QIDS Self-Report
(QIDS-SR) (4547) to assess depressive symptom severity. The clinical research coordinator also completed the 14-item Cumulative
Illness Rating Scale (48, 49) to gauge the severity/morbidity of general medical conditions relevant to different organ systems. Each of
the 14 illness categories was scored 0 (no problem) to 4 (extremely
severe/immediate treatment required/end organ failure/severe
impairment in function). The Cumulative Illness Rating Scale was
scored as number of general medical condition categories endorsed (013, excluding the psychiatric illness category), severity
index (0 to 4) (the average severity of the categories endorsed), and
total severity (number of categories times severity).
The primary research outcome was measured by HAM-D score
collected by research outcome assessors with telephone-based
structured interviews in English or Spanish. Research outcome
assessors were not located at any clinical site. The secondary out-

30

http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org

comes were based on the QIDS-SR collected at baseline and at

each treatment visit.
An automated, telephonic, interactive voice response system
(7, 5052) was used to collect ratings on the 12-item Short-Form
Health Survey (53) (perceived physical functioning and mental
health functioning), the 16-item Quality of Life Enjoyment and
Satisfaction Questionnaire (54), the Work and Social Adjustment
Scale (55), and the 5-item Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (56).

Intervention and Measurement-Based Care

Citalopram was selected as a representative SSRI given the absence of discontinuation symptoms, demonstrated safety in elderly and medically fragile patients, once-a-day dosing, few dose
adjustment steps, and favorable drug-drug interaction profile (7,
36). The aim of treatment was to achieve symptom remission (defined as QIDS-C score 5 collected at each treatment visit for the
purposes of clinical decision making). The protocol (7, 36) required a fully adequate dose of citalopram for a sufficient time to
ensure that the likelihood of achieving remission was maximized
and that those who did not reach remission were truly resistant to
the medication.
The treatment protocol was designed to provide an optimal
dose of citalopram based on dosing recommendations in a treatment manual (www.star-d.org) that also allowed individualized
starting doses and dose adjustments to minimize side effects,
maximize safety, and optimize the chances of therapeutic benefit
for each patient. Medication management was assisted by ratings
of symptoms (QIDS-C completed by the clinical research coordinator) and side effects (ratings of frequency, intensity, and burden)
(7) obtained at each treatment visit. Citalopram was started at 20
mg/day and then raised to 40 mg/day by week 4 and to 60 mg/day
(final dose) by day 42 (week 6). Dose adjustments were based on
how long a subject had received a particular dose, symptom
changes, and side effect burden. However, appropriate flexibility
was allowed, including initiation of citalopram at <20 mg/day or a
slower dose escalation to the optimal target dose of 60 mg/day, so
that patients with concomitant general medical disorders, substance abuse/dependence, or other psychiatric disorders could be
included safely in the sample.
The protocol recommended treatment visits at 2, 4, 6, 9, and 12
weeks (with an optional week-14 visit if needed). After an optimal
trial (based on dose and duration), remitters and responders could
enter the 12-month naturalistic follow-up, but all responders who
did not achieve remission were encouraged to enter the subsequent randomized trial. Patients could discontinue citalopram before 12 weeks if 1) intolerable side effects required a medication
change, 2) an optimal dose increase was not possible because of
side effects or participant choice, or 3) significant symptoms
(QIDS-C score 9) were present after 9 weeks at maximally tolerated doses. Patients could opt to move to the next treatment level
if they had intolerable side effects or if the QIDS-C score was >5 after an adequate trial in terms of dose and duration.
A treatment manual (including the treatment protocol and
procedures), initial didactic instruction, ongoing support and
guidance by the clinical research coordinator, the use of structured evaluation of symptoms and side effects at each visit, and a
centralized treatment monitoring and feedback system, together,
represented an intensive effort to provide consistent, high-quality
care (www.star-d.org) (52). To enhance the quality and consistency of care, physicians used the clinical decision support system that relied on the measurement of symptoms (QIDS-C and
QIDS-SR), side effects (ratings of frequency, intensity, and burden), medication adherence (self-report), and clinical judgment
based on patient progress. A web-based treatment monitoring
system provided feedback to clinical research coordinators regarding the fidelity to the treatment recommendations for each
Am J Psychiatry 163:1, January 2006

TRIVEDI, RUSH, WISNIEWSKI, ET AL.

TABLE 1. Baseline Characteristics of 2,876 Outpatients With
Nonpsychotic Major Depressive Disordera

TABLE 1. Baseline Characteristics of 2,876 Outpatients With

Nonpsychotic Major Depressive Disordera (continued)

Characteristic
Demographic domain
Race
Caucasian
African American
Other
Hispanic
No
Yes
Gender
Male
Female
Age group (years)
1830
3150
51
Age (years)
Education (years)
Social domain
Marital status
Never married
Married
Divorced
Widowed
Employment status
Employed
Unemployed
Retired
Education
< High school
High school but < college
College
Insurance status
Private
Public
None
Setting
Primary care
Psychiatric specialty care
Income ($/month)

Characteristic
Clinical domain

2,180
506
190

75.8
17.6
6.6

2,503
373

87.0
13.0

1,043
1,833

36.3
63.7

754
1,380
741

26.2
48.0
25.8

Mean

40.8
13.4

823
1,199
762
89

28.7
41.7
26.5
3.1

1,613
1,098
161

56.2
38.2
5.6

361
1,786
726

12.6
62.1
25.3

1,425
397
968

51.1
14.2
34.7

1,091
1,785

37.9
62.1
2,358

SD

Age at onset <18 years

Family history of depression
History of attempted suicide
Current major depressive
episode lasting 24 months
Recurrent depression
Anxious depression
Comorbid axis I psychiatric
disorders
Generalized anxiety disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Panic disorder
Social phobia
PTSD
Agoraphobia
Alcohol abuse/dependence
Drug abuse/dependence
Somatoform disorder
Hypochondriasis
Bulimia
Number of comorbid
psychiatric disorders
0
1
2
3
4
Age at onset (years)
Number of major
depressive episodes
Length of current major
depressive episode (months)
Length of illness (years)
General medical conditions
Categories endorsed
Total score
Severity index
Symptom severity
17-item Hamilton Depression
Rating Scale score
(completed by research
outcome assessor)
30-item Inventory of
Depressive Symptomatology,
Clinician Rating
16-item Quick Inventory of
Depressive Symptomatology,
Self-Report
Function and quality of life
12-item Short-Form Health
Survey scores
Physical
Mental
16-item Quality of Life
Enjoyment and Satisfaction
Questionnaire score
Work and Social Adjustment
Scale score

13.0
3.2

3,030
(continued)

patient. The clinical research coordinators could then help guide

physicians in vigorously dosing when inadequate symptom reduction had occurred despite acceptable side effects (7).

Safety Assessments
Side effects were evaluated with the ratings of frequency, intensity, and burden completed by patients at each treatment visit (7).
Three 7-point subscales measure the frequency, intensity, and
global burden of side effects.
Serious adverse events were monitored with a multitiered approach involving the clinical research coordinators, study clinicians, the interactive voice response system, the clinical manager,
safety officers, regional center directors (57), and the NIMH Data
Safety and Monitoring Board.

Concomitant Medications
Concomitant treatments for current general medical conditions (as part of ongoing clinical care), for associated symptoms
of depression (e.g., sleep, anxiety, and agitation), and for citalopram side effects (e.g., sexual dysfunction) were permitted on the
basis of clinical judgment. Stimulants, anticonvulsants, antipsychotics, alprazolam, nonprotocol antidepressants (except trazodone 200 mg at bedtime for insomnia), and depression-targeted psychotherapies were proscribed.
Am J Psychiatry 163:1, January 2006

1,077
1,585
515

37.8
55.6
17.9

720
2,019
1,530

25.3
75.7
53.2

671
407
372
891
586
335
343
209
68
126
370

23.6
14.3
13.1
31.3
20.6
11.8
12.0
7.4
2.4
4.4
13.0

980
749
466
258
364

34.8
26.6
16.5
9.2
12.9

Mean

SD

25.3

14.4

6.0

11.4

24.6
15.5

51.7
13.2

3.3
4.8
1.3

2.4
3.9
0.6

21.8

5.2

38.6

9.6

16.2

4.0

48.7
25.6

12.1
8.2

39.2

14.3

24.9

8.7

Numbers do not always add up to 2,876 because of missing data;

percents are based on number of subjects for whom data were
available.

Statistical Analysis
Summary statistics of the demographic, social, and clinical
characteristics are presented for the analyzable sample of 2,876
patients. Summary statistics of treatment characteristics (e.g.,
maximum dose achieved, number of treatment visits), serious adhttp://ajp.psychiatryonline.org

31

MEASUREMENT-BASED CARE IN STAR*D

TABLE 2. Treatment Characteristics and End-of-Study Remission Status of 2,876 Outpatients With Nonpsychotic Major
Depressive Disordera
Characteristic

No Remission (N=2,086)
N
%

Maximum dose of citalopram (mg/day)

<20
2039
4049
50
Dose of citalopram at study exit (mg/day)
<20
2039
4049
50
Time in treatment (weeks)
<4
4 but <8
8

Total (N=2,876)
N
%

56
466
574
983

2.7
22.4
27.6
47.3

7
228
288
267

0.9
28.9
36.4
33.8

63
694
862
1,250

2.2
24.2
30.0
43.6

95
552
562
870

4.6
26.5
27.0
41.9

10
232
294
254

1.3
29.4
37.2
32.1

105
784
856
1,124

3.7
27.3
29.8
39.2

308
444
1,333

14.8
21.3
63.9

14
41
735

1.8
5.2
93.0

322
485
2,068

11.2
16.9
71.9

SD

Mean

SD

Mean
Number of visits
Time to first treatment visit (weeks)
Time in treatment (weeks)
Time from final dose to study exit (weeks)
a

Remission (N=790)
N
%

4.5
2.4
9.3
4.4

1.6
1.2
4.4
3.7

5.5
2.3
12.0
6.6

1.1
0.8
2.6
3.7

Mean
4.8
2.3
10.0
5.0

SD
1.5
1.1
4.2
3.8

Remission was defined as an exit score of 7 on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D). Subjects with missing exit HAM-D scores were
considered not in remission. Numbers do not always add up to total N because of missing data; percents are based on number of subjects
for whom data were available.

verse events, and side effects are presented for the entire sample
and by remission status. Logistic regression models assessed the
association of the demographic, social, and clinical characteristics
with remission, independent of the effect of regional center and
baseline depression severity. As a subsequent analysis designed to
assess the unique and independent contribution of these variables to remission rates, a stepwise logistic regression model was
developed with both the HAM-D and the QIDS-SR. This model
identified baseline features associated with remission independent of baseline depression severity and regional center, both
within the three domains (demographic, social, and clinical) and
across all three domains.
Remission was defined as an exit HAM-D score 7 (or last observed QIDS-SR score 5). A reduction of 50% in baseline QIDSSR at the last assessment was defined as response. Intolerance
was defined a priori as either leaving treatment before 4 weeks or
leaving at or after 4 weeks with intolerance as the identified reason. As defined by the original proposal, patients were designated as not achieving remission when their exit HAM-D score
was missing. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to determine
whether this method of addressing missing data affected study
results. Two additional methods also addressed missing data in
the analysis of remission based on HAM-D scores: 1) a multiple
imputation method and 2) an imputed value generated from an
item response theory analysis of the relationship between the
HAM-D and the QIDS-C. Statistical significance was defined as a
two-sided p value less than 0.05. No adjustments were made for
multiple comparisons, so results must be interpreted accordingly.

Results
Figure 1 shows the disposition of patients during the
course of the study.

Demographic and Clinical Characteristics

Table 1 summarizes the baseline features of the evaluable sample (N=2,876). The patients included in the evaluable sample did not differ from those excluded on any of

32

http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org

the characteristics in Table 1 (data not shown). About 62%

of the participants were from psychiatric care settings. Minority representation was 24%. Depressive symptoms
were moderate to severe (HAM-D >21). More than 75% of
the patients met DSM-IV criteria for recurrent or chronic
depression. The mean length of illness was 15.5 years
(time from onset of first major depressive episode to study
entry). At study entry, subjects had an average of 3.3 general medical conditions.

Treatment Features
The study protocol recommended five postbaseline visits with an optional sixth visit (for those with meaningful
improvement short of remission). Overall, participants averaged 4.8 visits (SD=1.5) (Table 2). Those who met HAMD remission criteria had 5.5 visits (SD=1.1), and those who
did not averaged 4.5 visits (SD=1.6). The time from baseline to the next treatment visit (for both remitters and
nonremitters) was slightly over 2 weeks, which was within
the recommended visit schedule.
Citalopram treatment averaged 10 weeks (SD=4.2, median=11.6) or 70.2 days (SD=29.2, median=81). Patients
who achieved HAM-D remission remained in treatment
for a mean of 12 weeks (SD=2.6) (mean=83.8 days, SD=
18.1). Almost all (93%) of these patients completed at least
8 weeks, as opposed to only 64% of the patients who did
not achieve remission (Table 2).
The mean exit dose of citalopram (41.8 mg/day, SD=16.8)
was comparable for patients who did or did not achieve remission. Doses in primary care settings (40.6 mg/day, SD=
16.6) and psychiatric care settings (42.5 mg/day, SD=16.8)
were comparable.
Am J Psychiatry 163:1, January 2006

TRIVEDI, RUSH, WISNIEWSKI, ET AL.

FIGURE 2. Total Exit Scores on the 16-Item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, Self-Report (QIDS-SR), of 2,876
Outpatients With Nonpsychotic Major Depressive Disorder
No depression

Mild symptoms

Moderate symptoms

Severe symptoms

Very severe symptoms

8
7

Percent

6
5
4
3
2
1
0

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27
Last QIDS-SR Score

Symptomatic Outcomes
The overall remission rate was 27.5% (N=790) with the
HAM-D definition (primary outcome) and 32.9% (N=943)
with the QIDS-SR definition. Remission rates were comparable in primary and psychiatric care for the HAM-D
(26.6% versus 28.0%) and the QIDS-SR (32.5% versus
33.1%). The overall QIDS-SR response rate was 47% (N=
1,343) (46% primary care, 48% psychiatric care). Figure 2
shows the distribution of the exit QIDS-SR scores. A QIDSSR score of 10 approximates an HAM-D score of 13 (45).
Figure 3 shows the distribution of the time to first
remission and response for those who ultimately did
achieve remission and response in this study based on
QIDS-SR scores. For those who achieved QIDS-SR remission, the mean time to remission was 6.7 weeks (SD=
3.8) and was comparable in primary care (approximately 6
weeks) and psychiatric care (approximately 7 weeks). For
those who achieved a QIDS-SR response, the mean time to
response was approximately 5.7 weeks (SD=3.5) and was
comparable in primary care (mean=5.7 weeks, SD=3.7)
and psychiatric specialty care (mean=5.6 weeks, SD=3.5).
For those who achieved remission according to QIDSSR scores, the mean time in treatment was approximately
12 weeks (SD=3).

FIGURE 3. Percent of 2,876 Outpatients With Nonpsychotic

Major Depressive Disorder Who Achieved Response or Remission Defined by 16-Item Quick Inventory of Depressive
Symptomatology, Self-Report (QIDS-SR), Scores by Week of
Treatmenta
25
Remission (N=943)
Response (N=1,343)
20

Percent

15

10

0
2

10

12

13

Week of Treatment
a

Response was defined as improvement of 50% in QIDS-SR score

from baseline. Remission was defined as a QIDS-SR score of 5 at
endpoint.

Intolerance and Adverse Events

Pretreatment Correlates of Remission

Only 2% of the patients who achieved HAM-D remission were considered to have discontinued citalopram
because of intolerance, compared with 11% of those who
did not achieve HAM-D remission (Table 3). Those who
achieved HAM-D remission had lower rates of side effect
frequency, intensity, and burden at exit and lower rates of
serious adverse effects than those who did not achieve
HAM-D remission. Overall, 116 participants experienced
at least one serious adverse effect; most of these patients
(88.8% [N=103]) did not achieve HAM-D remission. There
were no suicides in the 2,876 participants in this acutephase citalopram study.

Several pretreatment demographic, social, and clinical

features were associated with remission based on either
the HAM-D or QIDS-SR following adjustments for baseline symptom severity and regional center (Table 4). Findings were almost identical for the HAM-D and the QIDSSR except that anxious depression and concurrent generalized anxiety disorder were also associated with lower
QIDS-SR remission rates.

Am J Psychiatry 163:1, January 2006

Table 5 presents pretreatment features that were nonoverlapping and independently associated with remission
after baseline depressive symptom severity and regional
center for each domain separately and across all domains
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org

33

MEASUREMENT-BASED CARE IN STAR*D

TABLE 3. Adverse Events, Side Effects, Attrition, and End-of-Study Remission Status of 2,876 Outpatients With Nonpsychotic Major Depressive Disordera
No Remission (N=2,086)
Adverse Events, Side Effects, and Attrition
Maximum side effect frequencyb
None
10%25% of the time
50%75% of the time
90%100% of the time
Maximum side effect intensityb
None
Trivialmild
Moderatemarked
Severeintolerable
Maximum side effect burdenb
No impairment
Minimalmild impairment
Moderatemarked impairment
Severe impairment, unable to function
Serious adverse events
Total
Death, nonsuicide
Hospitalization for general medical conditions
General medical conditions without hospitalization
Psychiatric hospitalization
Suicidal ideation (without hospitalization)c
Any psychiatric serious adverse eventd
Intolerance

Remission (N=790)

Total (N=2,876)

320
535
681
537

15.4
25.8
32.9
25.9

128
273
233
154

16.2
34.6
29.6
19.5

448
808
914
691

15.7
28.2
31.9
24.2

315
510
871
377

15.2
24.6
42.0
18.2

127
283
302
76

16.1
35.9
38.3
9.6

442
793
1,173
453

15.5
27.7
41.0
15.8

402
771
695
205

19.4
37.2
33.5
9.9

181
403
169
35

23.0
51.1
21.5
4.4

583
1,174
864
240

20.4
41.0
30.2
8.4

103
3
47
4
50
6
55
234

4.9

2.6
11.2

13
0
11
0
2
0
2
13

1.6

0.3
1.6

116
3
58
4
52
6
57
247

4.0

2.0
8.6

Remission was defined as an exit score of 7 on the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D). Subjects with missing exit HAM-D
scores were considered not in remission. Numbers do not always add up to total N because of missing data; percents are based on number
of subjects for whom data were available.
b Maximum ratings of intensity, frequency, and burden of side effects are the highest ratings during citalopram treatment.
c Includes psychiatric hospitalization and suicidal ideation without hospitalization.
d Includes hospitalizations for worsening depression, substance abuse, suicidal ideation, and other.
a

were controlled for. Lower remission rates were associated

with being unemployed; having a lower income; being
non-Caucasian, male, and less educated; and having
poorer function and lower quality of life at baseline. Remarkably consistent findings were obtained with the HAMD and the QIDS-SR.

Discussion
Results of this study should be generalizable to routine
clinical practice because this is the largest ecologically
valid real world study of outpatients with nonpsychotic
major depressive disorder treated in psychiatric and primary care settings with diligently followed guidelines.
Participants in the study were patients seeking treatment
in real world clinical practices who had high rates of
chronic or recurrent major depressive disorder and concurrent axis I and axis III (general medical conditions) disorders. Since there were very broad inclusion criteria and
few exclusion criteria, this study included patients who
would have been excluded from most efficacy trials (58
61).
The remission rates (28% for HAM-D; 33% for QIDS-SR)
were robust and similar to rates found in uncomplicated,
nonchronic symptomatic volunteers enrolled in placebocontrolled, 8-week, randomized, controlled trials with
SSRIs (4). These remission rates were better than those
found in efficacy studies among patients with chronic de-

34

http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org

pression (22%) (9), possibly because of a number of factors

discussed below, including the use of measurement-based
care and the clinical research coordinators.
Higher remission rates were found with the QIDS-SR
than with the HAM-D because our primary analyses classified patients with missing exit HAM-D as nonremitters a
priori. Of the 690 patients with missing exit HAM-D scores,
152 (22.1%) achieved QIDS-SR remission at the last treatment visit.
As described earlier, a sensitivity analysis was conducted to evaluate the methods used to address the missing HAM-D data. Both the multiple imputation approach
and the use of values imputed from the observed exit QIDSC score based on item response theory revealed remarkably similar findings, indicating that the analyses were not
affected by the missing data methodology.
Of participants who responded, 56.0% did so only at or
after 8 weeks of treatment. Not surprisingly, remission followed response in most cases. Of those who achieved
QIDS-SR remission, 40.3% did so only at or after 8 weeks of
citalopram.
Results also highlight the feasibility, safety, tolerability,
and effectiveness of delivering high-quality care with
easy-to-use clinical methods employed at each treatment
visit to ensure adequate treatment delivery (measurement-based care approach). The approach may have contributed to the better-than-expected remission rates in
this group of patients as well, although a firm conclusion
Am J Psychiatry 163:1, January 2006

TRIVEDI, RUSH, WISNIEWSKI, ET AL.

TABLE 4. Factors Associated With Remission Defined According to the 17-Item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D)
or the 16-Item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, Self-Report (QIDS-SR), in Outpatients With Nonpsychotic
Major Depressive Disordera
Remission Defined by HAM-D (N=790)
Baseline Characteristic

Patients With
Characteristic
N

Raced
Caucasian (N=2,180) (reference group)
African American (N=506)
Other (N=190)
Hispanic
No (N=2,503) (reference group)
Yes (N=373)
Gender
Male (N=1,043) (reference group)
Female (N=1,833)
Marital statuse
Never married (N=823)
Married (N=1,199) (reference group)
Divorced (N=762)
Widowed (N=89)
Employment statusf
Employed (N=1,613) (reference group)
Unemployed (N=1,098)
Retired (N=161)
Educationg
< High school (N=361)
High school but < college (N=1,786) (reference group)
College (N=726)
Insurance statush
Private (N=1,425) (reference group)
Public (N=397)
None (N=968)
Family history of depression
No (N=1,268) (reference group)
Yes (N=1,585)
History of attempted suicide
No (N=2,358) (reference group)
Yes (N=515)
Setting
Primary care (N=1,091) (reference group)
Psychiatric specialty care (N=1,785)
Age group (years)
1830 (N=754) (reference group)
3150 (N=1,380)
51 (N=741)
Age at onset (years)
<18 years (N=1,077) (reference group)
18 years (N=1,771)
Length of episode (months)
<24 (N=2,131) (reference group)
24 (N=720)

Analysisb
Odds
p
Ratio

Remission Defined by QIDS-SR (N=943)

Patients With
Characteristic
N

Analysisc
Odds
p
Ratio

<0.02
637
94
59

29.2
18.6
31.1

696
94

27.8
25.2

251
539

24.1
29.4

203
374
192
21

24.7
31.2
25.2
23.6

519
234
37

32.2
21.3
23.0

62
472
256

17.2
26.4
35.3

0.70
1.14
1.00
1.35

<1.00
<0.002
<0.02

0.71
0.83
0.78

<0.01
766
111
66

35.1
22.2
34.7

826
117

33.1
31.4

1.09

325
618

31.3
33.7

1.16

257
427
238
21

31.3
35.7
31.3
23.6

612
280
51

38.0
25.6
31.7

91
544
308

25.4
30.5
42.4

551
88
284

38.7
22.2
29.5

392
546

31.0
34.5

804
139

34.2
27.0

0.81

354
589

32.5
33.1

0.92

273
448
221

36.2
32.5
30.0

0.88
0.80

354
581

32.9
32.9

1.07

729
202

34.2
28.2

0.87

0.65
1.08
0.56

0.97
0.63
0.001
0.71
0.86

0.0006
0.70
1.31

33.1
18.4
23.9

331
456

26.1
28.8

667
123

28.3
23.9

290
500

26.6
28.0

225
381
183

29.8
27.6
24.7

315
470

29.2
26.5

0.61
0.72
1.09
0.83
0.88

<0.36
<0.11
<0.24
<0.81

1.03
0.96

1.50
0.0005
0.58
0.81
0.15
1.13
0.07

0.39
606
176

28.4
24.4

0.91

<0.39
0.17

0.81
0.98

<0.0001

0.98

0.0004
472
73
231

<0.23

0.87

0.0007
0.70
0.74

<0.10

<0.47
<0.16

(continued)

cannot be made without a control group. On the other

hand, several controlled studies (10, 14, 62) suggest a clear
benefit for a disease management approach in the comprehensive treatment of depression. These studies have
emphasized more frequent patient contact as well as more
robust psychosocial and educational support to enhance
adherence, improve patients ability to monitor their own
symptoms, and help patients understand the nature of
and treatment needs for their depression.
Unlike previous studies (10, 14, 62), this study used
pharmacotherapy augmented with diligent measureAm J Psychiatry 163:1, January 2006

ment-based procedures employing easy-to-use ratings of

symptoms and side effect frequency, intensity, and burden, as well as triage points with dosing recommendations
that allowed necessary flexibility. This measurementbased care approach represents a paradigm shift to the
use of easily employed research tools in clinical practice.
Tools used in research settings (e.g., HAM-D or other measures of symptoms, function, or side effects) are not routinely used in practice, which may contribute to the high
rates of inadequate treatment with antidepressant medications in routine care (12). Our results also suggest that
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org

35

MEASUREMENT-BASED CARE IN STAR*D

TABLE 4. Factors Associated With Remission Defined According to the 17-Item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D)
or the 16-Item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, Self-Report (QIDS-SR), in Outpatients With Nonpsychotic
Major Depressive Disordera (continued)
Remission Defined by HAM-D (N=790)
Baseline Characteristic
Recurrent depression
No (N=649) (reference group)
Yes (N=2,019)
Anxious depression
No (N=1,346) (reference group)
Yes (N=1,530)
Comorbid axis I psychiatric disorders
Generalized anxiety disorder
No (N=2,170) (reference group)
Yes (N=671)
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
No (N=2,437) (reference group)
Yes (N=407)
Panic disorder
No (N=2,472) (reference group)
Yes (N=372)
Social phobia
No (N=1,951) (reference group)
Yes (N=891)
PTSD
No (N=2,258) (reference group)
Yes (N=586)
Agoraphobia
No (N=2,508) (reference group)
Yes (N=335)
Alcohol abuse/dependence
No (N=2,504) (reference group)
Yes (N=343)
Drug abuse/dependence
No (N=2,632) (reference group)
Yes (N=209)
Somatoform disorder
No (N=2,772) (reference group)
Yes (N=68)
Hypochondriasis
No (N=2,716) (reference group)
Yes (N=126)
Bulimia
No (N=2,476) (reference group)
Yes (N=370)
Number of comorbid psychiatric disordersi
0 (N=980) (reference group)
1 (N=749)
2 (N=466)
3 (N=258)
4 (N=364)

Patients With
Characteristic
173
572

26.7
28.3

Analysisb
0.82
1.02

Remission Defined by QIDS-SR (N=943)

Patients With
Characteristic

Analysisc
<0.44

219
662

33.8
32.8

0.92

523
420

38.9
27.5

0.77

764
171

35.3
25.5

847
89

34.8
21.9

863
74

35.0
19.9

685
250

35.2
28.1

0.87

814
122

36.1
20.8

0.60

871
66

34.8
19.8

0.64

843
94

33.7
27.4

0.80

882
52

33.6
24.9

0.75

926
9

33.5
13.4

911
24

33.6
19.2

0.66

825
112

33.4
30.3

1.01

402
257
148
53
70

41.2
34.4
31.8
20.5
19.3

0.83
0.83
0.47
0.52

0.67
450
340

33.4
22.2

641
142

29.5
21.2

706
76

29.0
18.7

719
64

29.1
17.2

0.96
<0.05
0.80
0.71

<0.02
<0.04

0.73

0.03
0.80
0.002
0.67
0.0007
0.62

0.11
567
215

29.1
24.1

0.86

0.12

0.0005
678
104

30.0
17.7

0.65
0.01

728
55

29.1
16.4

709
74

28.3
21.6

738
43

28.0
20.6

776
7

28.0
10.3

0.67
0.74
0.71

<0.04
<0.06
<0.03

0.41

28.1
16.7

0.72

27.8
25.7

0.90

33.7
29.2
27.0
17.4
15.9

0.87
0.82
0.50
0.55

<0.09
<0.10

0.08

0.0001
330
219
126
45
58

<0.02

0.40

0.40
688
95

<0.0001

0.01

0.19
762
21

<0.002

<0.95
<0.0001

(continued)

the use of depressive symptom and side effect ratings

(www.ids-qids.org) to guide treatment is feasible in real
world practices as well as effectiveness trials and can be
used to monitor patient progress, to adjust the treatment,
and to make clinical decisions. In this study, adequate citalopram doses and treatment duration were achieved with
a structured yet flexible dosing schedule.
Several baseline features were associated with higher remission rates, including lower baseline severity; being
Caucasian, female, better educated, and more highly paid;
and having private insurance, fewer concurrent general
medical and psychiatric disorders, better pretreatment
physical and mental function (12-item Short-Form Health
Survey physical and mental subscales), greater life satis-

36

http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org

faction, and a shorter current episode. Taken together,

greater illness severity and psychiatric and general medical comorbidity as well as less social support are likely associated with lower remission rates for citalopram. These
findings are consistent with some of the previous studies
that reported lower response rates to antidepressants in
subjects with greater baseline symptom severity and
longer current episodes (19, 25, 6367).
Our sample size was large enough to identify a number
of clinically relevant features in developing a model to predict remission for major depressive disorder even after
controlling for both severity and treatment settings. These
results do not address whether similar or different baseline features would be negatively associated with remisAm J Psychiatry 163:1, January 2006

TRIVEDI, RUSH, WISNIEWSKI, ET AL.

TABLE 4. Factors Associated With Remission Defined According to the 17-Item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D)
or the 16-Item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, Self-Report (QIDS-SR), in Outpatients With Nonpsychotic
Major Depressive Disordera (continued)
Remission Defined by HAM-D (N=790)
Baseline Characteristic

Age (years) (units=10)

Education (years) (units=3)
Income ($) (units=10,000)
Clinical course: length of illness (years) (units=5)
General medical condition: total score (units=1)
Symptom severity
QIDS-SR score (units=5)
HAM-D score (units=5)
Function and quality of life
12-item Short-Form Health Survey scores
Physical (units=5)
Mental (units=5)
16-item Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction
Questionnaire score (units=5)
Work and Social Adjustment Scale score (units=5)

Patients With
Characteristic

Analysisb
Odds
p
Ratio

Mean

SD

39.9
14.1
3,105
15.0
4.2

12.8
3.2
3,801
13.0
3.5

0.99
1.20
2.34
0.99
0.97

0.86
<0.0001
<0.0001
<0.56
0.01

15.4
20.4

4.0
4.7

0.83

0.002

52.7
25.6

10.6
8.4

1.16
0.98

43.4
22.8

13.5
8.6

1.10
0.88

Remission Defined by QIDS-SR (N=943)

Patients With
Characteristic

Analysisc
Odds
p
Ratio

Mean

SD

40.1
13.9
2,902
14.7
4.2

12.9
3.3
3,529
12.8
3.6

0.96
1.14
1.79
0.97
0.96

0.26
<0.002
<0.0001
0.07
<0.005

15.1
20.4

4.1
4.8

0.78

<0.0001

<0.0001
0.53

51.9
26.0

11.0
8.4

1.14
1.00

<0.0001
<0.88

<0.0001
<0.0001

43.4
22.5

13.7
8.6

1.11
0.86

<0.0001
<0.0001

Remission was defined as an exit score of 7 on the HAM-D or an exit score of 5 on the QIDS-SR. Subjects with missing HAM-D exit scores
were classified as not in remission. Percents are based on the total number of subjects with each baseline characteristic. Numbers do not
always add up to total N because of missing data; percents are based on number of subjects for whom data were available.
b Odds ratios for patients who did or did not achieve remission adjusted for regional center and baseline HAM-D score (completed by research
outcome assessor).
c Odds ratios for patients who did or did not achieve remission adjusted for regional center and baseline QIDS-SR score.
d Post hoc comparisons for remitted groups defined by either HAM-D or QIDS-SR: Caucasian significantly different from African American. No
other statistically significant differences based on a Bonferroni correction.
e Post hoc comparisons for remitted groups defined by either HAM-D or QIDS-SR: never married significantly different from married. No other
statistically significant differences based on a Bonferroni correction.
f Post hoc comparisons for remitted groups defined by either HAM-D or QIDS-SR: unemployed significantly different from employed. No other
statistically significant differences based on a Bonferroni correction.
g Post hoc comparisons for remitted groups defined by either HAM-D or QIDS-SR: < high school significantly different from college, and
< college significant different from college. No other statistically significant differences based on a Bonferroni correction.
h Post hoc comparisons for remitted group defined by HAM-D: private insurance significantly different from public insurance, and private insurance significantly different from no insurance. Post hoc comparisons for remitted group defined by QIDS-SR: private insurance significantly different from public insurance. No other statistically significant differences based on a Bonferroni correction.
i Post hoc comparisons for remitted group defined by HAM-D: no comorbid psychiatric conditions significantly different from three comorbid
psychiatric conditions, no comorbid psychiatric conditions significantly different from four or more comorbid psychiatric conditions, and one
comorbid psychiatric condition significantly different from four or more comorbid psychiatric conditions. Post hoc comparisons for remitted
group defined by QIDS-SR: no comorbid psychiatric conditions significantly different from three comorbid psychiatric conditions, no comorbid psychiatric conditions significantly different from four or more comorbid psychiatric conditions, one comorbid psychiatric condition significantly different from three comorbid psychiatric conditions, and two comorbid psychiatric conditions significantly different from three
comorbid psychiatric conditions. No other statistically significant differences based on a Bonferroni correction.
a

sion for other antidepressant medications or whether results would differ for psychotherapy or combination(s) of
antidepressant treatments.
In our sample, being married or living with someone
appeared to have a positive effect on the overall remission
rates; married or cohabiting patients met criteria for treatment response with greater frequency than single participants. Although Hagerty and Williams (68) found that
patients living alone were more likely to drop out of treatment, our findings indicate that participants who were
unmarried or living alone did not drop out early and yet
had lower remission rates. Not all studies have found social support to be a significant predictor of treatment outcome (69, 70), but most have suggested social support
and, even more specifically, marital status as positive predictors of response.
Am J Psychiatry 163:1, January 2006

Study limitations include open treatment design, the

use of a single antidepressant agent (citalopram), and the
lack of placebo control. Nonspecific treatment effects undoubtedly accounted for some unknown proportion of the
acute response or remission rates (71). Additional studies
with other antidepressant medications are needed to determine whether the current findings are generalizable to
other medications.
These results highlight the need for longer treatment
duration and more vigorous medication dosing than is
current practice in order to achieve optimal remission
rates. Informed triage or critical decision points (i.e., the
discontinuation of patients who experience minimal benefit after 69 weeks of treatment) allow for extended dosing for those who are benefiting, while curtailing extended
treatment for those who experience minimal benefit after
a substantial treatment period. The measurement-based
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org

37

MEASUREMENT-BASED CARE IN STAR*D

TABLE 5. Factors Independently Associated With Remission Defined According to the 17-Item Hamilton Depression Rating
Scale (HAM-D) or the 16-Item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, Self-Report (QIDS-SR), in Outpatients With
Nonpsychotic Major Depressive Disordera
Remission Defined
by HAM-D
(N=790)
Factor
Odds Ratiob
Social domain
Employment status (reference group=employed)
Unemployed
0.73
Retired
0.85
Income ($) (units=10,000)
2.05
Demographic domain
Race (reference group=Caucasian)
African American
0.69
Other
1.11
Female gender (reference group=male)
1.42
Education (reference group=high school but < college)
< High school
0.69
College
1.30
Clinical domain
Comorbid axis I psychiatric disorders
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (reference group=no obsessive-compulsive disorder)

PTSD (reference group=no PTSD)

0.70
Function and quality of life
12-item Short-Form Health Survey
Physical subscale (units=5)
1.15
Mental subscale (units=5)

16-item Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (units=5)

1.07
Work and Social Adjustment Scale score (units=5)

All domains
Income ($) (units=10,000)
2.28
Female gender (reference group=male)
1.69
Comorbid axis I psychiatric disorders
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (reference group=no obsessive-compulsive disorder)

PTSD (reference group=no PTSD)

0.69
Function and quality of life: 12-item Short-Form Health Survey scores
Physical (units=5)
1.21
Mental (units=5)
1.11

Remission Defined
by QIDS-SR
(N=943)
Odds Ratioc

<0.04

0.01
<0.0001

0.78
0.97
1.64

<0.02
0.0003
0.0005

0.001
0.004

0.66
1.04
1.22

<0.04
0.0002

0.97
1.47

0.70
0.67

0.02
<0.002

1.14
1.08

0.92

<0.0001
<0.04

<0.0001
<0.0001

1.67
1.35

0.002
0.005

<0.01

0.71
0.63

0.03
0.0009

<0.0001
<0.005

1.17
1.13

<0.0001
0.001

0.007
<0.0001
0.0007

0.02

Remission was defined as an exit score of 7 on the HAM-D or an exit score of 5 on the QIDS-SR. Subjects with missing HAM-D scores were
classified as not in remission. For HAM-D, area under the curve=0.70; for QIDS-SR, area under the curve=0.69.
b Odds ratios for patients who did or did not achieve remission adjusted for baseline HAM-D score (completed by research outcome assessor)
and regional center.
c Odds ratios for patients who did or did not achieve remission adjusted for baseline QIDS-SR and regional center.
a

care methods used in this study were easily implemented

in actual practice. Controlled trials of this approach in
practice are recommended.
Received Aug. 1, 2005; revision received Sept. 17, 2005; accepted
Sept. 27, 2005. From the Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas
Southwestern Medical Center; Epidemiology Data Center, Graduate
School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh; Depression Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital,
Boston; NIMH, Bethesda, Md.; Department of Psychiatry, University of
Mississippi, Jackson; Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh
School of Medicine, Pittsburgh; The Sam and Rose Stein Institute for
Research on Aging, University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine; New York State Psychiatric Institute and the Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University,
New York. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Trivedi,
Mood Disorders Program and Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Exchange Park Express,
American General Tower, 6363 Forest Park Rd., Suite 1300, Dallas, TX
75390-9119; [email protected] (e-mail).
The Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression
(STAR*D) study is supported by federal funds from NIMH under contract N01 MH-90003 to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical
Center at Dallas (A.J. Rush, principal investigator).

38

http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org

The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the

views or policies of the Department of Health and Human Services,
nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. government.
The authors thank Bristol-Myers Squibb, Forest Laboratories, GlaxoSmithKline, King Pharmaceuticals, Organon, Pfizer, and Wyeth for
providing medications at no cost for the STAR*D study.
Additional information on this study accompanies the online version of the article (ajp.psychiatryonline.org).

References
1. Judd LL: Major depressive disorder: longitudinal symptomatic
structure, relapse and recovery. Acta Psychiatr Scand 2001;
104:8183
2. Nierenberg AA, Keefe BR, Leslie VC, Alpert JE, Pava JA, Worthington JJ, Fava M: Residual symptoms in depressed patients
who respond acutely to fluoxetine. J Clin Psychiatry 1999; 60:
221225
3. Paykel ES: Remission and residual symptomatology in major
depression. Psychopathology 1998; 31:514
4. Depression Guideline Panel: Clinical Practice Guideline 5: Depression in Primary Care, vol 2: Treatment of Major Depression. Rockville, Md, US Department of Health and Human Ser-

Am J Psychiatry 163:1, January 2006

TRIVEDI, RUSH, WISNIEWSKI, ET AL.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

vices, Public Health Service, Agency for Health Care Policy and
Research, 1993
Koran LM, Gelenberg AJ, Kornstein SG, Howland RH, Friedman
RA, DeBattista C, Klein D, Kocsis JH, Schatzberg AF, Thase ME,
Rush AJ, Hirschfeld RM, LaVange LM, Keller MB: Sertraline versus imipramine to prevent relapse in chronic depression. J Affect Disord 2001; 65:2736
Paykel ES, Scott J, Teasdale JD, Johnson AL, Garland A, Moore R,
Jenaway A, Cornwall PL, Hayhurst H, Abbott R, Pope M: Prevention of relapse in residual depression by cognitive therapy: a
controlled trial. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1999; 56:829835
Rush AJ, Fava M, Wisniewski SR, Lavori PW, Trivedi MH, Sackeim
HA, Thase ME, Nierenberg AA, Quitkin FM, Kashner TM, Kupfer
DJ, Rosenbaum JF, Alpert J, Stewart JW, McGrath PJ, Biggs MM,
Shores-Wilson K, Lebowitz BD, Ritz L, Niederehe G: Sequenced
Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D): rationale and design. Control Clin Trials 2004; 25:119142
Keller MB, Gelenberg AJ, Hirschfeld RM, Rush AJ, Thase ME, Kocsis JH, Markowitz JC, Fawcett JA, Koran LM, Klein DN, Russell JM,
Kornstein SG, McCullough JP, Davis SM, Harrison WM: The treatment of chronic depression, part 2: a double-blind, randomized trial of sertraline and imipramine. J Clin Psychiatry 1998;
59:598607
Keller MB, McCullough JP, Klein DN, Arnow B, Dunner DL,
Gelenberg AJ, Markowitz JC, Nemeroff CB, Russell JM, Thase ME,
Trivedi MH, Zajecka J: A comparison of nefazodone, the cognitive behavioral-analysis system of psychotherapy, and their
combination for the treatment of chronic depression. N Engl J
Med 2000; 342:14621470
Untzer J, Katon W, Callahan CM, Williams JW Jr, Hunkeler E,
Harpole L, Hoffing M, Della Penna RD, Noel PH, Lin EH, Arean
PA, Hegel MT, Tang L, Belin TR, Oishi S, Langston C: Collaborative care management of late-life depression in the primary
care setting: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2002; 288:
28362845
Rush AJ, Prien RF: From scientific knowledge to the clinical
practice of psychopharmacology: can the gap be bridged? Psychopharmacol Bull 1995; 31:720
Kessler RC, Berglund P, Demler O, Jin R, Koretz D, Merikangas
KR, Rush AJ, Walters EE, Wang PS: The epidemiology of major
depressive disorder: results from the National Comorbidity
Survey Replication (NCS-R). JAMA 2003; 289:30953105
Katon WJ, Von Korff M, Lin EH, Simon G, Ludman E, Russo J,
Ciechanowski P, Walker E, Bush T: The Pathways Study: a randomized trial of collaborative care in patients with diabetes
and depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2004; 61:10421049
Trivedi MH, Rush AJ, Crismon ML, Kashner TM, Toprac MG, Carmody TJ, Key T, Biggs MM, Shores-Wilson K, Witte B, Suppes T,
Miller AL, Altshuler KZ, Shon SP: Clinical results for patients
with major depressive disorder in the Texas Medication Algorithm Project. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2004; 61:669680
Baron RM, Kenny DA: The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic,
and statistical considerations. J Pers Soc Psychol 1986; 51:
11731182
Kraemer HC, Wilson T, Fairburn CG, Agras WS: Mediators and
moderators of treatment effects in randomized controlled trials. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2002; 59:877883
Bosworth HB, McQuoid DR, George LK, Steffens DC: Time-to-remission from geriatric depression: psychosocial and clinical
factors. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 2002; 10:551559
Nierenberg AA: Predictors of response to antidepressants general principles and clinical implications. Psychiatr Clin North
Am 2003; 26:345352, viii
Bielski RJ, Friedel RO: Prediction of tricyclic antidepressant response: a critical review. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1976; 33:1479
1489

Am J Psychiatry 163:1, January 2006

20. Croughan JL, Secunda SK, Katz MM, Robins E, Mendels J, Swann
A, Harris-Larkin B: Sociodemographic and prior clinical course
characteristics associated with treatment response in depressed patients. J Psychiatr Res 1988; 22:227237
21. Greenhouse JB, Kupfer DJ, Frank E, Jarrett DB, Rejman KA:
Analysis of time to stabilization in the treatment of depression:
biological and clinical correlates. J Affect Disord 1987; 13:259
266
22. Hooley JM, Teasdale JD: Predictors of relapse in unipolar depressives: expressed emotion, marital distress, and perceived
criticism. J Abnorm Psychol 1989; 98:229235
23. Joyce PR, Paykel ES: Predictors of drug response in depression.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1989; 46:8999
24. Katz MM, Koslow SH, Maas JW, Frazer A, Bowden CL, Casper R,
Croughan J, Kocsis J, Redmond EJ: The timing, specificity and
clinical prediction of tricyclic drug effects in depression. Psychol Med 1987; 17:297309
25. Keller MB, Lavori PW, Mueller TI, Endicott J, Coryell W, Hirschfeld RM, Shea T: Time to recovery, chronicity, and levels of psychopathology in major depression: a 5-year prospective follow-up of 431 subjects. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1992; 49:809816
26. Kocsis JH, Mason BJ, Frances AJ, Sweeney J, Mann JJ, Marin D:
Prediction of response of chronic depression to imipramine. J
Affect Disord 1989; 17:255260
27. Vallejo J, Gasto C, Catalan R, Bulbena A, Menchon JM: Predictors of antidepressant treatment outcome in melancholia: psychosocial, clinical and biological indicators. J Affect Disord
1991; 21:151162
28. Kocsis JH: New issues in the prediction of antidepressant response. Psychopharmacol Bull 1990; 26:4953
29. Brugha TS, Bebbington PE, MacCarthy B, Sturt E, Wykes T, Potter
J: Gender, social support and recovery from depressive disorders:
a prospective clinical study. Psychol Med 1990; 20:147156
30. Goodwin FK: Predictors of antidepressant response. Bull Menninger Clin 1993; 57:146160
31. Hoencamp E, Haffmans PM, Duivenvoorden H, Knegtering H,
Dijken WA: Predictors of (non-) response in depressed outpatients treated with a three-phase sequential medication strategy. J Affect Disord 1994; 31:235246
32. Friedman RA, Parides M, Baff R, Moran M, Kocsis JH: Predictors
of response to desipramine in dysthymia. J Clin Psychopharmacol 1995; 15:280283
33. Cohn CK, Robinson DS, Roberts DL, Schwiderski UE, OBrien K,
Ieni JR: Responders to antidepressant drug treatment: a study
comparing nefazodone, imipramine, and placebo in patients
with major depression. J Clin Psychiatry 1996; 57(suppl 2):1518
34. Esposito K, Goodnick P: Predictors of response in depression.
Psychiatr Clin North Am 2003; 26:353365
35. Aliapoulous J, Zisook S: Tricyclic antidepressant medications, in
Predictors of Treatment Response in Mood Disorders. Edited
by Goodnick PJ. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Press,
1996, pp 136
36. Fava M, Rush AJ, Trivedi MH, Nierenberg AA, Thase ME, Sackeim HA, Quitkin FM, Wisniewski S, Lavori PW, Rosenbaum JF,
Kupfer DJ: Background and rationale for the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) study. Psychiatr Clin North Am 2003; 26:457494
37. Hamilton M: A rating scale for depression. J Neurol Neurosurg
Psychiatry 1960; 23:5662
38. Hamilton M: Development of a rating scale for primary depressive illness. Br J Soc Clin Psychol 1967; 6:278296
39. Zimmerman M, Mattia JI: A self-report scale to help make psychiatric diagnoses: the Psychiatric Diagnostic Screening Questionnaire. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2001; 58:787794
40. Zimmerman M, Mattia JI: The Psychiatric Diagnostic Screening
Questionnaire: development, reliability and validity. Compr
Psychiatry 2001; 42:175189

http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org

39

MEASUREMENT-BASED CARE IN STAR*D

41. Rush AJ, Zimmerman M, Wisniewski SR, Fava M, Hollon SD,
Warden D, Biggs MM, Shores-Wilson K, Shelton RC, Luther JF,
Thomas B, Trivedi MH: Comorbid psychiatric disorders in depressed outpatients: demographic and clinical features. J Affect Disord 2005; 87:4355
42. Novick JS, Stewart JW, Wisniewski SR, Cook IA, Manev R, Nierenberg AA, Rosenbaum JF, Shores-Wilson K, Balasubramani GK,
Biggs MM, Zisook S, Rush AJ (STAR*D investigators): Clinical and
demographic features of atypical depression in outpatients
with major depression: preliminary findings from STAR*D. J
Clin Psychiatry 2005; 66:10021011
43. Fava M, Alpert JE, Carmin CN, Wisniewski SR, Trivedi MH, Biggs
MM, Shores-Wilson K, Morgan D, Schwartz T, Balasubramani
GK, Rush AJ: Clinical correlates and symptom patterns of anxious depression among patients with major depressive disorder in STAR*D. Psychol Med 2004; 34:12991308
44. Khan AY, Carrithers J, Preskorn SH, Wisniewski SR, Lear R, Rush
AJ, Stegman D, Kelley C, Kreiner K, Nierenberg AA, Fava M: Clinical and demographic factors associated with DSM-IV melancholic depression. Ann Clin Psychiatry (in press)
45. Rush AJ, Trivedi MH, Ibrahim HM, Carmody TJ, Arnow B, Klein
DN, Markowitz JC, Ninan PT, Kornstein S, Manber R, Thase ME,
Kocsis JH, Keller MB: The 16-item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS), Clinician Rating (QIDS-C), and SelfReport (QIDS-SR): a psychometric evaluation in patients with
chronic major depression. Biol Psychiatry 2003; 54:573583
46. Trivedi MH, Rush AJ, Ibrahim HM, Carmody TJ, Biggs MM,
Suppes T, Crismon ML, Shores-Wilson K, Toprac MG, Dennehy
EB, Witte B, Kashner TM: The Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, Clinician Rating (IDS-C) and Self-Report (IDS-SR),
and the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, Clinician Rating (QIDS-C) and Self-Report (QIDS-SR) in public sector
patients with mood disorders: a psychometric evaluation. Psychol Med 2004; 34:7382
47. Rush AJ, Bernstein IH, Trivedi MH, Carmody TJ, Wisniewski S,
Mundt JC, Shores-Wilson K, Biggs MM, Woo A, Nierenberg AA,
Fava M: An evaluation of the Quick Inventory of Depressive
Symptomatology and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression: a Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) trial report. Biol Psychiatry (in press)
48. Linn BS, Linn MW, Gurel L: Cumulative Illness Rating Scale. J Am
Geriatr Soc 1968; 16:622626
49. Miller MD, Paradis CF, Houck PR, Mazumdar S, Stack JA, Rifai AH,
Mulsant B, Reynolds CF III: Rating chronic medical illness burden
in geropsychiatric practice and research: application of the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale. Psychiatry Res 1992; 41:237248

55. Mundt JC, Marks IM, Shear MK, Greist JH: The Work and Social
Adjustment Scale: a simple measure of impairment in functioning. Br J Psychiatry 2002; 180:461464
56. Reilly MC, Zbrozek AS, Dukes EM: The validity and reproducibility of a work productivity and activity impairment instrument.
Pharmacoeconomics 1993; 4:353365
57. Nierenberg AA, Trivedi MH, Ritz L, Burroughs D, Greist J, Sackeim H, Kornstein S, Schwartz T, Stegman D, Fava M, Wisniewski
SR: Suicide risk management for the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression study: applied NIMH guidelines. J Psychiatr Res 2004; 38:583589
58. Posternak MA, Zimmerman M, Keitner GI, Miller IW: A reevaluation of the exclusion criteria used in antidepressant efficacy
trials. Am J Psychiatry 2002; 159:191200
59. Rapaport MH, Pollack M, Wolkow R, Mardekian J, Clary C: Is placebo response the same as drug response in panic disorder?
Am J Psychiatry 2000; 157:10141016
60. Zimmerman M, Chelminski I, Posternak MA: Exclusion criteria
used in antidepressant efficacy trials: consistency across studies and representativeness of samples included. J Nerv Ment
Dis 2004; 192:8794
61. Zimmerman M, Chelminski I, Posternak MA: Generalizability of
antidepressant efficacy trials: differences between depressed
psychiatric outpatients who would or would not qualify for an
efficacy trial. Am J Psychiatry 2005; 162:13701372
62. Hunkeler EM, Meresman JF, Hargreaves WA, Fireman B, Berman WH, Kirsch AJ, Groebe J, Hurt SW, Braden P, Getzell M,
Feigenbaum PA, Peng T, Salzer M: Efficacy of nurse telehealth
care and peer support in augmenting treatment of depression
in primary care. Arch Fam Med 2000; 9:700708
63. Hirschfeld RM, Montgomery SA, Aguglia E, Amore M, Delgado
PL, Gastpar M, Hawley C, Kasper S, Linden M, Massana J, Mendlewicz J, Moller HJ, Nemeroff CB, Saiz J, Such P, Torta R, Versiani M: Partial response and nonresponse to antidepressant
therapy: current approaches and treatment options. J Clin Psychiatry 2002; 63:826837
64. Keller MB, Klerman GL, Lavori PW, Coryell W, Endicott J, Taylor
J: Long-term outcome of episodes of major depression. clinical
and public health significance. JAMA 1984; 252:788792
65. Rush AJ, Roffwarg HP, Giles DE, Schlesser MA, Fairchild C, Tarell
J: Psychobiological predictors of antidepressant drug response.
Pharmacopsychiatria 1983; 16:192194
66. Fava M, Uebelacker LA, Alpert JE, Nierenberg AA, Pava JA,
Rosenbaum JF: Major depressive subtypes and treatment response. Biol Psychiatry 1997; 42:568576

50. Kobak KA, Greist JH, Jefferson JW, Mundt JC, Katzelnick DJ: Computerized assessment of depression and anxiety over the telephone using interactive voice response. MD Comput 1999; 16:
6368

67. Iosifescu DV, Nierenberg AA, Alpert JE, Smith M, Bitran S, Dording C, Fava M: The impact of medical comorbidity on acute
treatment in major depressive disorder. Am J Psychiatry 2003;
160:21222127

51. Mundt JC: Interactive voice response systems in clinical research and treatment. Psychiatr Serv 1997; 48:611612

68. Hagerty BM, Williams RA: The effects of sense of belonging, social support, conflict, and loneliness on depression. Nurs Res
1999; 48:215219

52. Trivedi MH, Rush AJ, Wisniewski SR, Warden D, McKinney W,

Downing M, Berman SR, Farabaugh A, Luther J, Nierenberg AA,
Lis J, Sackeim H: Factors associated with health-related quality
of life among outpatients with major depressive disorder: a
STAR*D report. J Clin Psychiatry (in press)
53. Ware J Jr, Kosinski M, Keller SD: A 12-item short-form health
survey: construction of scales and preliminary tests of reliability and validity. Med Care 1996; 34:220233
54. Endicott J, Nee J, Harrison W, Blumenthal R: Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire: a new measure. Psychopharmacol Bull 1993; 29:321326

40

http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org

69. George LK, Blazer DG, Hughes DC, Fowler N: Social support and
the outcome of major depression. Br J Psychiatry 1989; 154:
478485
70. Hirschfeld RM, Klerman GL, Andreasen NC, Clayton PJ, Keller
MB: Psycho-social predictors of chronicity in depressed patients. Br J Psychiatry 1986; 148:648654
71. Khan A, Leventhal RM, Khan SR, Brown WA: Severity of depression and response to antidepressants and placebo: an analysis
of the Food and Drug Administration database. J Clin Psychopharmacol 2002; 22:4045

Am J Psychiatry 163:1, January 2006