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What is the best approach to patients with recurrent major depression that responds to treatment but does not remit? To address the usefulness of continuation treatment, researchers followed 241 depressed patients who had partial response (17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score, ≤12, plus score ≥7 at 1 of 7 final assessments) after 12 weeks of cognitive therapy (CT).
Patients were randomized to continuation CT (C-CT), manufacturer-supplied fluoxetine (modal dose, 40 mg/day), or placebo for 8 months. CT involved 10 biweekly or monthly sessions; fluoxetine and placebo patients received clinical management at equivalent intervals. All treatments were then abruptly discontinued, and 181 patients were blindly evaluated regularly for anoth…