Anxiety Disorders: Geddes J

Vasudev K, Macritchie K, Geddes J, Watson S, Young A. · No affiliation provided · Cochrane Database Syst Rev. · Pubmed #16437453 No free full text.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Bipolar disorder is a common recurrent illness with high levels of chronicity. Treatment resistance persists despite the use of established medications, such as lithium and valproate. New medications are required for the treatment of refractory cases. Retrospective and open-label trials have suggested that the anticonvulsant topiramate may be efficacious in bipolar disorder. There is a need to clarify the evidence available in the form of randomised controlled trials for its use in bipolar disorder. OBJECTIVES: To review the evidence for the efficacy and acceptability of topiramate in the treatment of acute mood episodes in bipolar disorder. SEARCH STRATEGY: The Cochrane Collaboration Depression, Anxiety and Neurosis (CCDAN) group search strategy was used. The following databases were searched:The Cochrane Collaboration Depression, Anxiety and Neurosis Controlled Trials Register (CCDANCTR), September 2003;The Cochrane Controlled Clinical Trials Register (CCCTR), September 2003;EMBASE (1980 to December 2003);MEDLINE (1966 to December 2003);LILACS;PsycLIT;Psyndex.Reference lists of relevant papers and major textbooks of mood disorder. Handsearches (specialist journals and conference proceedings). Authors, other experts in the field and pharmaceutical companies were contacted for knowledge of suitable published or unpublished trials. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials which compared topiramate with placebo or with active agents in the treatment of any acute mood episodes in bipolar disorder. Participants were patients with bipolar disorder and were males and females of all ages. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data extraction and methodological quality assessment were performed independently by two reviewers. For analysis, relative risk was used for binary efficacy outcomes and the weighted mean difference or standardised mean difference was used for continuously distributed outcomes. MAIN RESULTS: One randomised controlled trial met the inclusion criteria for the review, a comparison between topiramate and bupropion sustained release (SR) in the adjunctive treatment of depressed patients with bipolar disorder. However, the trial had several limitations in methodology and in the description of data. Its data regarding efficacy required clarification before it could be analysed according to the protocol of this systematic review. From the limited data available, topiramate had efficacy similar to bupropion SR in the adjunctive treatment of bipolar depression.Both groups of subjects suffered a high drop-out rate. There was no significant difference between the topiramate and the bupropion treated groups in those dropping out for any reason (relative risk 1.60, 95% confidence interval 0.65 to 3.96). There was no significant difference in those withdrawing from the study due to adverse effects (relative risk 1.50, 95% confidence interval 0.51 to 4.43). Although the data on weight loss were not analysed formally, weight loss was marked in the topiramate treated group.Several unpublished trials have been identified and data from these trials may be included in future reviews. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There is insufficient evidence on which to base any recommendations regarding the use of topiramate in any phase of bipolar illness, either in monotherapy or as an adjunctive treatment.

Taylor MJ, Wilder H, Bhagwagar Z, Geddes J. · Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Neurosciences Building, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK, OX3 7JK. · Cochrane Database Syst Rev. · Pubmed #15106232 No free full text.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: There are a number of effective interventions for the treatment of depression. It is possible that the efficacy of these treatments will be improved further by the use of adjunctive therapies such as inositol. OBJECTIVES: 1. To determine the effectiveness of inositol in the treatment of depression.2. To determine the adverse effects and acceptability of treatment with inositol. SEARCH STRATEGY: The Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (CCTR), The Cochrane Collaboration Depression, Anxiety and Neurosis Controlled Trials Register (CCDANCTR) incorporating results of group searches of EMBASE, MEDLINE, LILACS, CINAHL, PSYNDEX and PsycLIT were searched. Reference lists of relevant papers and major textbooks of affective disorder were checked. Experts in the field and pharmaceutical companies were contacted regarding unpublished material. SELECTION CRITERIA: All randomised controlled trials that compare treatment with inositol, whether as monotherapy or adjunctive therapy, to an alternative treatment, whether another antidepressant medication or placebo, for patients with a diagnosis of depressive disorder (diagnosed according to explicit criteria). DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data were independently extracted from the original reports by two reviewers. Statistical analysis was conducted using Review Manager version 4.2.1. MAIN RESULTS: Four trials were identified, with a total of 141 participants. These were short term trials of double-blind design. The trials did not show clear evidence of a therapeutic benefit, nor any evidence of poor acceptability. REVIEWERS' CONCLUSIONS: It is currently unclear whether or not inositol is of benefit in the treatment of depression. Ongoing studies should reduce this uncertainty.

Taylor MJ, Carney S, Geddes J, Goodwin G. · Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK, OX3 7JK. · Cochrane Database Syst Rev. · Pubmed #12804463 No free full text.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: There are a number of effective interventions for the treatment of depression. It is possible that the efficacy of these treatments will be improved further by the use of adjunctive therapies such as folate. OBJECTIVES: 1. To determine the effectiveness of folate in the treatment of depression 2. To determine the adverse effects and acceptability of treatment with folate. SEARCH STRATEGY: The Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (CCTR), and the Cochrane Collaboration Depression, Anxiety and Neurosis Controlled Trials Register (CCDANCTR) incorporating results of group searches of EMBASE, MEDLINE, LILACS, CINAHL, PSYNDEX and PsycLIT were searched. Reference lists of relevant papers and major textbooks of affective disorder were checked. Experts in the field and pharmaceutical companies were contacted regarding unpublished material. SELECTION CRITERIA: All randomised controlled trials that compared treatment with folic acid or 5'-methyltetrahydrofolic acid to an alternative treatment, whether another antidepressant medication or placebo, for patients with a diagnosis of depressive disorder (diagnosed according to explicit criteria). DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data were independently extracted from the original reports by two reviewers. Statistical analysis was conducted using Review Manager version 4.1. MAIN RESULTS: Three trials involving 247 people were included. Two studies involving 151 people assessed the use of folate in addition to other treatment, and found that adding folate reduced Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores on average by a further 2.65 points (95% confidence interval 0.38 to 4.93). Fewer patients treated with folate experienced a reduction in their HDRS score of less than 50% at ten weeks (relative risk (RR) 0.47, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.92) The number needed to treat with folate for one additional person to experience a 50% reduction on this scale was 5 (95% confidence interval 4 to 33). One study involving 96 people assessed the use of folate instead of the antidepressant trazodone and did not find a significant benefit from the use of folate. The trials identified did not find evidence of any problems with the acceptability or safety of folate. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: The limited available evidence suggests folate may have a potential role as a supplement to other treatment for depression. It is currently unclear if this is the case both for people with normal folate levels, and for those with folate deficiency.

Burgess S, Geddes J, Hawton K, Townsend E, Jamison K, Goodwin G. · Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, OX3 7JX. · Cochrane Database Syst Rev. · Pubmed #11687035 No free full text.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Mood disorders are common, disabling and tend to be recurrent. They carry a high risk of suicide. Maintenance treatment, aimed at the prevention of relapse, is therefore of vital importance. Lithium has been used for some years as the mainstay of maintenance treatment in bipolar affective disorder, and to a lesser extent in unipolar disorder. However, the efficacy and effectiveness of prophylactic lithium therapy has been disputed. Low suicide rates in lithium-treated patients have led to claims that lithium has a specific anti-suicidal effect. If so, this is of considerable importance as treatments for mental disorders in general have not been shown convincingly to be effective in suicide prevention. OBJECTIVES: 1. To investigate the efficacy of lithium treatment in the prevention of relapse in recurrent mood disorders. 2. To examine the effect of lithium treatment on consumers' general health and social functioning, its acceptability to consumers, and the side-effects of treatment. 3. To investigate the hypothesis that lithium has a specific effect in reducing the incidence of suicide and deliberate self-harm in persons with mood disorders. SEARCH STRATEGY: The Cochrane Collaboration Depression, Anxiety and Neurosis Controlled Trials Register (CCDANCTR) and The Cochrane Controlled Clinical Trials Register (CCTR) were searched. Reference lists of relevant papers and major text books of mood disorder were examined. Authors, other experts in the field and pharmaceutical companies were contacted for knowledge of suitable trials, published or unpublished. Specialist journals concerning lithium were hand searched. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials comparing lithium with placebo, where the stated intent of treatment was maintenance or prophylaxis. Participants were males and females of all ages with diagnoses of mood disorder. Discontinuation studies (in which all participants had been stable on lithium for some time before being randomised to either continued lithium treatment or placebo substitution) were excluded. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data were extracted from the original reports independently by two reviewers. The main outcomes studied were related to the objectives stated above. Data were analysed for all diagnoses of mood disorder and for bipolar and unipolar disorder separately. Data were analysed using Review Manager version 4.0. MAIN RESULTS: Nine studies were included in the review, reporting on 825 participants randomly allocated to lithium or placebo. Lithium was found to be more effective than placebo in preventing relapse in mood disorder overall, and in bipolar disorder. The most consistent effect was found in bipolar disorder (random effects OR 0.29; 95% CI 0.09 to 0.93 ). In unipolar disorder, the direction of effect was in favour of lithium, but the result (when heterogeneity between studies was allowed for) did not reach statistical significance. Considerable heterogeneity was found between studies in all groups of patients. The direction of effect was the same in all studies; no study found a negative effect for lithium. Heterogeneity may have been due to differences in selection of participants, and to differing exposures to lithium in the pre-study phase resulting in variable influence of a discontinuation effect. There was little reported data on overall health and social functioning of participants under the different treatment conditions, or on the participants' own views of their treatment. Descriptive analysis showed that assessments of general health and social functioning generally favoured lithium. Small absolute numbers of deaths and suicides, and the absence of data on non-fatal suicidal behaviours, made it impossible to draw meaningful conclusions about the place of lithium therapy in suicide prevention. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review indicates that lithium is an efficacious maintenance treatment for bipolar disorder. In unipolar disorder the evidence of efficacy is less robust. This review does not cover the relative efficacy of lithium compared with other maintenance treatments, which is at present unclear. There is no definitive evidence from this review as to whether or not lithium has an anti-suicidal effect. Systematic reviews and large scale randomised studies comparing lithium with other maintenance treatments (e.g. anti-convulsants, antidepressants) are necessary. Outcomes relating to death and suicidal behaviour should be included in all future maintenance studies of mood disorder.

Burgess S, Geddes J, Hawton K, Townsend E, Jamison K, Goodwin G. · Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, OX3 7JX. · Cochrane Database Syst Rev. · Pubmed #11406061 No free full text.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Mood disorders are common, disabling and tend to be recurrent. They carry a high risk of suicide. Maintenance treatment, aimed at the prevention of relapse, is therefore of vital importance. Lithium has been used for some years as the mainstay of maintenance treatment in bipolar affective disorder, and to a lesser extent in unipolar disorder. However, the efficacy and effectiveness of prophylactic lithium therapy has been disputed. Low suicide rates in lithium-treated patients have led to claims that lithium has a specific anti-suicidal effect. If so, this is of considerable importance as treatments for mental disorders in general have not been shown convincingly to be effective in suicide prevention. OBJECTIVES: 1. To investigate the efficacy of lithium treatment in the prevention of relapse in recurrent mood disorders. 2. To examine the effect of lithium treatment on consumers' general health and social functioning, its acceptability to consumers, and the side-effects of treatment. 3. To investigate the hypothesis that lithium has a specific effect in reducing the incidence of suicide and deliberate self-harm in persons with mood disorders. SEARCH STRATEGY: The Cochrane Collaboration Depression, Anxiety and Neurosis Controlled Trials Register (CCDANCTR) and The Cochrane Controlled Clinical Trials Register (CCTR) were searched. Reference lists of relevant papers and major text books of mood disorder were examined. Authors, other experts in the field and pharmaceutical companies were contacted for knowledge of suitable trials, published or unpublished. Specialist journals concerning lithium were hand searched. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials comparing lithium with placebo, where the stated intent of treatment was maintenance or prophylaxis. Participants were males and females of all ages with diagnoses of mood disorder. Discontinuation studies (in which all participants had been stable on lithium for some time before being randomised to either continued lithium treatment or placebo substitution) were excluded. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data were extracted from the original reports independently by two reviewers. The main outcomes studied were related to the objectives stated above. Data were analysed for all diagnoses of mood disorder and for bipolar and unipolar disorder separately. Data were analysed using Review Manager version 4.0. MAIN RESULTS: Nine studies were included in the review, reporting on 825 participants randomly allocated to lithium or placebo. Lithium was found to be more effective than placebo in preventing relapse in mood disorder overall, and in bipolar disorder. The most consistent effect was found in bipolar disorder (random effects OR 0.29; 95% CI 0.09 to 0.93 ). In unipolar disorder, the direction of effect was in favour of lithium, but the result (when heterogeneity between studies was allowed for) did not reach statistical significance. Considerable heterogeneity was found between studies in all groups of patients. The direction of effect was the same in all studies; no study found a negative effect for lithium. Heterogeneity may have been due to differences in selection of participants, and to differing exposures to lithium in the pre-study phase resulting in variable influence of a discontinuation effect. There was little reported data on overall health and social functioning of participants under the different treatment conditions, or on the participants' own views of their treatment. Descriptive analysis showed that assessments of general health and social functioning generally favoured lithium. Small absolute numbers of deaths and suicides, and the absence of data on non-fatal suicidal behaviours, made it impossible to draw meaningful conclusions about the place of lithium therapy in suicide prevention. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review indicates that lithium is an efficacious maintenance treatment for bipolar disorder. In unipolar disorder the evidence of efficacy is less robust. This review does not cover the relative efficacy of lithium compared with other maintenance treatments, which is at present unclear. There is no definitive evidence from this review as to whether or not lithium has an anti-suicidal effect. Systematic reviews and large scale randomised studies comparing lithium with other maintenance treatments (e.g. anti-convulsants, antidepressants) are necessary. Outcomes relating to death and suicidal behaviour should be included in all future maintenance studies of mood disorder.

Godwin M, Hodgetts G, Bardon E, Seguin R, Packer D, Geddes J. · Department of Family Medicine, Queen's University in Kingston, Ont. · Can Fam Physician. · Pubmed #11228029 links to  free full text

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To assess the health care and health status of patients attending primary care clinics in Bosnia and Herzegovina. DESIGN: Assisted administration patient survey. SETTING: Two ambulatory care clinics (ambulantas) in each of three cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Tuzla, Mostar, and Banja Luka. PARTICIPANTS: Patients attending the ambulantas during a 1-week period in March 1999; 885 answered questionnaires. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Each patient listed demographic characteristics and answered questions on satisfaction with health care and with the physical and financial accessibility of health care services and medications. A validated health status questionnaire (EuroQoL), previously used in parts of the former Yugoslavia, was administered. RESULTS: Only 22% of patients were employed; 57% could not pay the nominal fee to see a physician; 71% walked to the clinic; mean distance from patients' homes to the clinics was 2.3 km; 63% could not get the medications prescribed (in 85% of cases because of cost, not availability); 80% to 90% of answers to satisfaction questions suggested high satisfaction with the care patients received from their doctors; 67% of the time patients were referred to a specialist by general practitioners; 33% had problems walking; 17% had problems with self-care; 36% had problems with usual daily activities; 72% had at least some pain or discomfort; and 62% described at least some anxiety or depression. The three cities showed significant differences; patients in Tuzla generally had lower health status and more problems with health care. CONCLUSION: Unemployment and financial considerations reduced health care access in Bosnia and Herzegovina. While only one third of patients had physical difficulties, two thirds had emotional problems or pain. Satisfaction with physicians' care was high.