A clinical trial was conducted on PANDA in which the analysis reveals that common antidepressants improve depression symptoms within a period of two weeks. These are the most prescribed antidepressants and improve emotional symptoms such as self-loathing, suicidal thoughts, and sadness. Depression Disorder consists of heterogeneous symptoms that occur in combinations, possibly in hundreds.
The research also found that the drug eases anxiety symptoms at an early stage. This gives a more nuanced understanding of how emotional versus physical symptoms are impacted by antidepressants.
What are antidepressants?
These are a part of pharmaceutical treatment generally prescribed for general anxiety and depressive disorder. Within these, Sertraline is a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI), which is the most common class of antidepressants.
Read More: Growing Usage of Antidepressants Can be Lethal
Research Details
A randomised controlled trial was conducted on PANDA to understand the effect of Sertraline on individuals with depressive symptoms. The research participants were patients whose symptoms ranged from mild to moderate and were residents of England. The effect of Sertraline was observed over time in the Panda randomised controlled trial. The different points in time were 2,6, and 12 weeks.
The PANDA trial was funded by the National Institute for Health (NIHR) University and Research, London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre.
A paper published previously in 2019 in The Lancet Psychiatry claimed that Sertraline improves anxiety symptoms, and an overall improvement in their mental health was reported by the participants within six weeks. However, until 12 weeks, the depressive symptoms were not reported to improve by participants. A new analysis had 571 participants for the trial of those whose data were complete for each symptom. The results prove that core Depressive symptoms are improved more quickly than previously believed by taking Sertraline.
Research Analysis and Results
The analysis of research has been rooted in a theoretical approach wherein the goal is to gain deeper insights and add nuance to the results. To test the effect of SSRI Sertraline symptom level approach was adopted.
The core symptoms of depression and anxiety, such as low mood, were observed within two weeks of taking the most common antidepressant, Sertraline. Low libido, low appetite and tiredness are a few side effects of the drug. These side effects can also be symptoms of depression. The effect of treatment becomes complicated to interpret due to the side effects of antidepressants (somatic symptoms).
The results would additionally facilitate the development of novel drugs and also evaluate existing drugs in psychiatry. How drugs work and how they help patients can be understood. Thus, overall, it helps in understanding the intersection between the nature, timings, and effectiveness of antidepressant action.
Major Research Findings
- Within two weeks, emotions are relieved as Sertraline improves anxiety, mood and suicidal thoughts.
- Low libido, fatigue, etc, are the physical side effects that showed up after six weeks.
- The network analysis conducted found that antidepressants act differently across somatic and emotional symptoms.
Authors Perspective
The lead author of the study, Dr Giulia Piazza, UCL Psychiatry and UCL Psychology and Language Sciences, shared that a more complex picture has been painted about Sertraline effect on various symptoms of depression.
He also shared that depression and anxiety are often thought to be single units or uniform conditions; however, network analysis reveals a different perspective. These are both constellations of symptoms that can appear in different combinations for different people. Over time, the symptoms influence each other; for instance, poor sleep can lead to issues with concentration, which in turn impacts self self-esteem of the individual.
The co-author, Professor Lewis, added that these findings would facilitate informed decisions and treatments. Another coauthor, Professor Jean Baptiste Pingault, shared that Sertraline benefits can be easily detected at an early stage, that is, two weeks from the time antidepressant treatment begins.
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