Citation

Fowler JC, Patriquin M, Madan A, Allen JG, Frueh BC, Oldham JM. J. Psychiatr. Res. 2015; 68: 114-119.

Affiliation

The Menninger Clinic, 12301 Main Street Houston, TX 77035, USA; Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jpsychires.2015.06.018

PMID

26228409

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Treatment non-response among high-risk, psychiatric patients exposes those suffering to suicidal risk as well as persistent social and occupational difficulties. Strategies for identification of treatment non-response are limited. AIMS: Diagnostic efficiency of a self-report, cross-cutting symptom measure was assessed as a marker of treatment non-response.

METHOD: 835 inpatients at a specialist psychiatric hospital completed the Patient Health Questionnaire - Depression (PHQ-9) at admission and every two weeks during hospitalization.

RESULTS: For patients admitted with severe depression (PHQ-9 ≥ 20), results indicated good accuracy of 2-week PHQ-9 change score in identifying treatment non-response (AUC = 0.80, SE = 0.04, p < .0001; sensitivity = 85%; specificity = 73%; OR = 14.91).

CONCLUSIONS: The search for predictors of non-response to psychiatric treatment has a long and generally unfulfilled history. The PHQ-9 change score holds promise as a cost-effective test with comparable diagnostic characteristics to other medical tests.

Language: en