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Improving depression and enhancing resilience in family dementia caregivers: a pilot randomized placebo-controlled trial of escitalopram
Lavretsky H, Siddarth P, Irwin MR.. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, 2010-02-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Background This study examined the potential of an antidepressant drug, escitalopram, to improve depression, resilience to stress, and quality of life in family dementia caregivers in a randomized placebo-controlled double-blinded trial. Methods Forty family caregivers (43-91 years of age, 25 children and 15 spouses; 26 women) who were taking care of their relatives with Alzheimer disease were randomized to receive either escitalopram 10 mg/day or placebo for 12 weeks. Severity of depression, resilience, burden, distress, quality of life, and severity of care-recipient's cognitive and behavioral disturbances were assessed at baseline and over the course of the study. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores at baseline ranged between 10 and 28. The groups were stratified by the diagnosis of major and minor depression. Results Most outcomes favored escitalopram over placebo. The severity of depression improved, and the remission rate was greater with the drug compared with placebo. Measures of anxiety, resilience, burden, and distress improved on escitalopram compared with placebo. Discussion Among caregivers, this small randomized controlled trial found that escitalopram use resulted in improvement in depression, resilience, burden and distress, and quality of life. Our results need to be confirmed in a larger sample.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Lavretsky, H., Siddarth, P., & Irwin, M. R. (2010). Improving depression and enhancing resilience in family dementia caregivers: a pilot randomized placebo-controlled trial of escitalopram. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1097/jgp.0b013e3181beab1e
Vancouver
Lavretsky H, Siddarth P, Irwin MR. Improving depression and enhancing resilience in family dementia caregivers: a pilot randomized placebo-controlled trial of escitalopram. The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. 2010. doi:10.1097/jgp.0b013e3181beab1e. PMID: 20104071.
BibTeX
@article{lavretsky2010-20104071,
author = {Lavretsky, H. and Siddarth, P. and Irwin, M. R.},
title = {{Improving depression and enhancing resilience in family dementia caregivers: a pilot randomized placebo-controlled trial of escitalopram}},
journal = {The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry},
year = {2010},
doi = {10.1097/jgp.0b013e3181beab1e},
pmid = {20104071},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1097/jgp.0b013e3181beab1e}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Results Most outcomes favored escitalopram over placebo.
- The severity of depression improved, and the remission rate was greater with the drug compared with placebo.
- Measures of anxiety, resilience, burden, and distress improved on escitalopram compared with placebo.
- Our results need to be confirmed in a larger sample.
Why it matters
In this small trial of 40 family caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease, escitalopram improved depression, resilience, burden, and distress compared with placebo. This treats caregiver depression, not Alzheimer's disease itself, and the authors say results need confirmation in a larger sample.
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Study details
- Study designrandomized controlled trial
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 58/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a randomised controlled trial. Scored zero for sample size and effect reported because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry: journal h-index 178 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 11 / 12 | A randomised controlled trial |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2010 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (pubmed indexes it as a clinical or observational study) |
| Randomised / blinded | 2 / 2 | Randomised and blinded or placebo-controlled (as stated in the record) |
| Times cited | 4 / 7 | Cited 64 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 3.6 citations a year over 18 year(s) since 2010 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 2.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 2 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 1 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Michael R. Irwin: h-index 120 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of California, Los Angeles: institution h-index 1,923 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 20104071) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 58 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1097/jgp.0b013e3181beab1e
- PubMed: 20104071
- Original source →
- Free full text: PubMed Central →
Full text: free to read — PubMed Central lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 10 Oct 2026).
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