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. 2024 Dec 22;16(12):e76200.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.76200. eCollection 2024 Dec.

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Different Antidepressants in Preventing Psychiatric Rehospitalization

Hannah Mei  1 , Jackie Rowe  1 , Amanda Sowinski  1 , Daniel J Greer  1
Affiliations

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Different Antidepressants in Preventing Psychiatric Rehospitalization

Hannah Mei et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Objective: Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) often face poor health outcomes. Additionally, patients with multiple hospitalizations tend to have worse predicted disease prognosis. Antidepressant medications remain a first-line treatment option for MDD, but data evaluating the effects of different antidepressants on psychiatric readmission rates is lacking. The objective of this study was to assess readmission rates based on antidepressant selection upon discharge from an inpatient psychiatric hospitalization.

Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective chart review evaluating psychiatric readmission rates of adults with MDD discharged on antidepressant therapy. The primary outcome was to compare 30-day psychiatric rehospitalization rates based on antidepressant treatment and secondary outcomes included six-month and one-year psychiatric rehospitalization based on antidepressant treatment. Odds ratios (OR), 95% confidence intervals (CI), and p-values were calculated to determine the odds of readmission in patients who were discharged on each antidepressant compared to patients who were discharged on an antidepressant other than that particular antidepressant.

Results: Patients who were discharged on sertraline were four times less likely to be readmitted within 30 days compared to the combined readmission rate of other antidepressants or multiple antidepressants (OR: 0.228, 95%CI: 0.053-0.978, p<0.05). Meanwhile, patients discharged on any combination of multiple antidepressants were more likely to be readmitted than patients discharged on only one antidepressant (OR: 4.517, 95%CI: 1.581-12.908, p<0.05). The antidepressant medications included in the study were bupropion, duloxetine, escitalopram, fluoxetine, mirtazapine, paroxetine, sertraline, trazodone, and venlafaxine.

Conclusion: Careful consideration should be taken when choosing antidepressant therapy for inpatient psychiatric patients as this may impact relapse of symptoms and readmission rates. Further research is needed to evaluate other factors that may influence psychiatric readmissions for MDD.

Keywords: antidepressive agents; depression; hospitalization; patient readmission; psychiatry.

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Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Rutgers University Office for Research issued approval Pro2023001385. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

References

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