DIFFERENTIAL PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT RESPONSE IN HIGH ANGRY HOSTILEAND LOW ANGRY HOSTILE DEPRESSED-PATIENTS - A RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS

Fava et al., Am. J. Psychiatry 150 (1993)1158-1163, have recently prop osed the existence of a sub-type of depressed patients who experience anger attacks. These investigators hypothesized that patients who expe rience anger attacks will respond better to a specific selective serot onin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) medication than will depressed patients who do not experience anger attacks. Using a non-randomized, archival treatment methodology, 158 patients were classified as either high an gry hostile (n = 83) or low angry hostile (n = 75). These patients had been treated with either a primarily noradrenergic reuptake inhibitor (desipramine), a SSRI (sertraline or paroxetine), or the combined ser otonin and nonpinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), venlafaxine. A 2 ( high angry hostile/low angry hostile) X 3 (medication type) analysis o f variance (ANOVA) was non-significant, indicating no differential tre atment effects. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.