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Treating depression in Alzheimer disease: efficacy and safety of sertraline therapy, and the benefits of depression reduction: the DIADS
Lyketsos CG, DelCampo L, Steinberg M, Miles Q, Steele CD, Munro C, Baker AS, Sheppard JM et al.. Archives of general psychiatry, 2003-07-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Results of prior antidepressant treatment studies have produced contradictory findings and have not fully assessed the benefits of depression reduction. Results In the sertraline-treated group 9 patients (38%) were full responders and 11 (46%) were partial responders compared with 3 (20%) and 4 (15%), respectively, in the placebo-treated group (P =.007). When full responders, partial responders, and nonresponders were compared, full responders only, or full and partial responders had significantly better ratings on activities of daily living (P =.04), behavioral disturbance (P =.01), and caregiver distress (P =.006), but not on the Mini-Mental State Examination (P =.76).
Key findings
- Results of prior antidepressant treatment studies have produced contradictory findings and have not fully assessed the benefits of depression reduction.
- Results In the sertraline-treated group 9 patients (38%) were full responders and 11 (46%) were partial responders compared with 3 (20%) and 4 (15%), respectively, in the placebo-treated group (P =.007).
- When full responders, partial responders, and nonresponders were compared, full responders only, or full and partial responders had significantly better ratings on activities of daily living (P =.04), behavioral disturbance (P =.01), and caregiver distress (P =.006), but not on the Mini-Mental State Examination (P =.76).
Why it matters
In this trial, patients with Alzheimer disease treated with sertraline were more likely to be full or partial responders for depression than those given placebo. Full and partial responders had significantly better ratings on activities of daily living, behavioral disturbance, and caregiver distress, but not on the Mini-Mental State Examination.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 55/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Archives of general psychiatry) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Archives of General Psychiatry: journal h-index 543 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| 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 | 2003 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| 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 | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 398 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 15.9 citations a year over 25 year(s) since 2003 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 13.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 14 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 25 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Peter V. Rabins: h-index 78 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Johns Hopkins University: institution h-index 2,306 (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 12860778) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 55 / 100 | — |
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May need a subscription Unpaywall, Europe PMC and OpenAlex found no free copy of the full text (checked 10 Oct 2026), so the publisher may charge for it. The PubMed abstract is free.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Lyketsos, C. G., DelCampo, L., Steinberg, M., Miles, Q., Steele, C. D., Munro, C., et al. (2003). Treating depression in Alzheimer disease: efficacy and safety of sertraline therapy, and the benefits of depression reduction: the DIADS. Archives of general psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.60.7.737
Vancouver
Lyketsos CG, DelCampo L, Steinberg M, Miles Q, Steele CD, Munro C, et al. Treating depression in Alzheimer disease: efficacy and safety of sertraline therapy, and the benefits of depression reduction: the DIADS. Archives of general psychiatry. 2003. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.60.7.737. PMID: 12860778.
BibTeX
@article{lyketsos2003-12860778,
author = {Lyketsos, C. G. and DelCampo, L. and Steinberg, M. and Miles, Q. and Steele, C. D. and Munro, C. and Baker, A. S. and Sheppard, J. M. and others},
title = {{Treating depression in Alzheimer disease: efficacy and safety of sertraline therapy, and the benefits of depression reduction: the DIADS}},
journal = {Archives of general psychiatry},
year = {2003},
doi = {10.1001/archpsyc.60.7.737},
pmid = {12860778},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.60.7.737}
}
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