Self-rating data as a selecting factor in clinical trials of psychotropic drugs

Abstract

In psychiatry the relationship between rating by others and self-rating has been discussed again and again. The question has been raised as to the influence of complete data material (all patients with self-rating and rating by others) on results, in comparison to results where patients without self-rating are not taken into evaluation. This question was answered by conducting a double-blind study which included two pharmacologically active substances (amitriptylinoxide and trazodone) and two sub-samples of patients (patients with rating by others and self-rating, and patients with rating by others alone). The trial was performed in a total of 57 in-patients suffering from endogenous depression (ICD 296.1) who received drug treatment for 21 days. The effect was assessed multi-methodically. While no differences between the two drugs were seen in the sub-sample “self-rating and rating by others”, amitriptylinoxide proved to be superior to trazodone in the sub-sample “rating by others”. On the basis of these findings the use of rating by others and self-rating procedures will be considered.