Using mean comparisons and effect sizes to report effects of inpatient treatment, this not reveals, how many inpatients benefit from treatment and which characteristics predict the positive outcome. Several characteristics were collected from 1 533 consecutive inpatients with an episode of depression. The pre-post-effect size in the Beck Depression Inventory was 1.29 (95%-CI: 1.23; 1.36). The rate of remission was 39.5%. The rate of response was 57.8% based on the reliable change index (RCI) and 72.4% based on the percental symptom improvement. The regression model with the RCI as outcome variable was stabile in the cross-validation. A negative predictive impact was demonstrated by the depressive symptoms at treatment beginning, whereas higher assessment of physical health and higher level of education were found to be positively associated. A consistent definition of response seems essential for cross-study and cross-methodological comparisons.
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.