Cost- Effectiveness and Quality of Life Assessment in Major Depression Disorder

The study design was that of a pragmatic randomized clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of treatments for mood disorders in a public healthcare context in the city of Porto Alegre, in southern Brazil. The algorithm was originally developed for the treatment of major depression by a Delphi panel of experts from psychiatric associations in Brazil. All subjects provided an informed consent form, in writing, in order to participate in the study protocol, which was approved by the institutional ethics committee.

Procedures and measurements of the study

The subjects under evaluation were selected and they followed the stages defined by the treatment protocol:

• Sample selection by being referred from the primary healthcare clinics in the municipality;
• Informative talk about mood disorders and the research, with the informed consent forms being provided to the subjects;
• Screening for unipolar depression episodes with the use of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and Hypomanic Symptoms Checklist Brazilian Version (HCL -32-BV);
• Diagnostic evaluation through the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) and clinical interview for individuals with positive results in the screening instruments;
• Baseline and demographic assessments using standardized semi-structured interviews in the first and second visits;
• In each clinic visit, the severity of the symptoms were evealuated using the Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD), and Young Manic Rating Scale (YMRS);
• Biweekly follow-up, changed to monthly after stabilization - with a maximum follow-up period of 52 weeks.

Inclusion criteria

• ages between 18 and 65;
• current acute unipolar depression episode;
• total capacity to understand and respond to self-applied instruments;
• the presence of symptoms in the last 30 days;
• abstinence for at least 30 days for drug addicts

Exclusion criteria

• presence of Organic Brain Syndrome (OBS);
• pregnancy or lactation;
• criteria for psychiatric hospitalization.