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Adjunctive benzodiazepines in depression: a clinical dilemma with no recent answers from research

Abstract:
Comorbid anxiety symptoms are common in depression, and adding benzodiazepines to antidepressant treatment may seem a rational clinical solution. Benzodiazepines also have potential to reduce the initial anxiety that may be caused by early antidepressant treatment (owing to their inhibitory effect via GABAA receptor binding). This month's Cochrane Corner review examines the evidence behind combination treatment versus antidepressants alone in major depressive disorder, in terms of both the clinical and neuroscientific context. The review provides evidence that, in the first 4 weeks of treatment, additional medication with a benzodiazepine may lead to greater improvements than antidepressant alone on ratings of severity, response rates and remission rates for depression, but not on measures of anxiety.
Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

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Publisher copy:
10.1192/bja.2020.17

Authors


More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MSD
Department:
Psychiatry
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0001-7848-1295
More by this author
Division:
MSD
Department:
Psychiatry
Oxford college:
Brasenose College
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0001-5984-8696


Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
Journal:
BJPsych Advances More from this journal
Volume:
26
Issue:
6
Pages:
321-326
Publication date:
2020-10-30
Acceptance date:
2020-02-24
DOI:
EISSN:
2056-4686
ISSN:
2056-4678


Language:
English
Keywords:
Pubs id:
1090948
Local pid:
pubs:1090948
Deposit date:
2020-03-04

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