The effect of early versus late antidepressant treatment on XXXX : is there a time-related therapeutic window?

@entity1 @entity64 @entity308 @entity73 @entity177
Impairments in activities of daily living (ADL) are common after @entity64 and may be related to @entity308 . We have demonstrated that remission of @entity308 was associated with improvement in ADL. The administration of antidepressants within the first 3 months after @entity64 has been shown to prevent @entity308 , early administration might also improve recovery of ADL among @entity1 with @entity64 . This study examines the effect of early versus late treatment with antidepressants on recovery in ADL. Among 62 @entity1 after @entity64 , the therapeutic effect of a 3-month course of antidepressants begun during the first month after @entity64 was compared with the effect of treatment begun after 1 month. The severity of impairment was measured using the @entity177 ( @entity177 ) and post-treatment outcome was assessed over the following 21 months. Although both the early and late treatment groups showed improvements in @entity177 scores during the 3 months of treatment, the early treatment group improved significantly more than the late treatment group. After the treatment, the early treatment group maintained this improvement over 2 years while the late treatment group deteriorated over time. There were no significant differences in the 2 groups that would explain the findings. Recovery in @entity73 after @entity64 appeared to be enhanced by the use of antidepressant medication if treatment was started within the first month after @entity64 . These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that there may be a time-related therapeutic window in the treatment of @entity308 .
