Putting the efficacy of psychiatric and general medicine medication into perspective: review of meta-analyses
Why the study?
Are psychiatric drugs less efficacious than general medical drugs when compared to placebo?
Population
94 meta-analyses covering 48 drugs in 20 medical diseases and 16 drugs in 8 psychiatric disorders
Comparison
Psychiatric drugs vs General medical drugs (both compared to placebo)
Design
Systematic_review
Authors
Discussion
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Member takes
Implication
Psychiatric drugs match general medical agents in placebo-controlled efficacy; confirms clinical utility and extends cross-specialty evidence synthesis.
Structured PICO
Are psychiatric drugs less efficacious than general medical drugs when compared to placebo?
P
Population
94 meta-analyses covering 48 drugs in 20 medical diseases and 16 drugs in 8 psychiatric disorders
I
Intervention
Psychiatric drugs
C
Comparator
General medical drugs (both compared to placebo)
O
Outcome
Effect sizes for primary efficacy outcomes
Psychiatric drugs are generally not less efficacious than general medical drugs when compared to placebo, providing perspective on their clinical utility.
Limitations
- Any comparison of different outcomes in different diseases can only serve the purpose of a qualitative perspective
Cite This Study
Leucht et al. (2012) studied this question.