Depression Monitoring and Patient Behavior in the Clinical Outcomes in MEasurement-Based Treatment (COMET) Trial

ObjectiveIn this secondary analysis of results of the Clinical Outcomes in MEasurement-Based Treatment (COMET) trial, patient behaviors that might account for the differences observed in clinical outcomes were examined.MethodsPatients (N=914) diagnosed as having major depressive disorder participated in telephone interviews either monthly for six months (intervention) or at three and six months (usual care) asking about antidepressant medication–taking, use of psychotherapy or counseling, and participation in depression support groups. Physicians (N=83) in the intervention arm received monthly feedback regarding their patients’ depression severity.ResultsA total of 664 (73%) patients completed the month 6 interview. The adjusted odds of current antidepressant use at six months were 85% greater (p=.01) for patients in the intervention (N=380) versus usual care (N=284) arms, according to multivariate regression analyses.ConclusionsMore frequent measurement of depression symptoms was associated with greater ...