Can Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 predict response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in depressed outpatients?

Abstract

There is growing evidence that individual differences among patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) on psychological and demographic measures may predict the therapeutic response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). In this retrospective chart review, 108 outpatients with current major depressive episodes were treated with citalopram, paroxetine, or fluvoxamine. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 were administered before and after 8 weeks of SSRIs treatment. Clinical response was defined as a 50% or greater decrease in the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale total score (final visit minus baseline). This naturalistic short-term follow-up outcome study demonstrates that among depressive outpatients who responded to an 8-week trial, 57.4% achieved a good response to SSRIs. Statistical analysis showed that SSRI treatment may be 3.03 times more advantageous for MDD outpatients who are younger than 39 years. The patients with an elevated score of above 66T on the Social Introversion Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 scale are approximately 0.37 times as likely to be SSRI responders as are patients with a Social Introversion score less than 66T. Thus, it seems that in MDD outpatient age is the strongest predictor of response to SSRIs.