In This Issue

Frequent contacts and an expectation of efficacy appear to have therapeutic effects that contribute to high response rates in clinical trials of new antidepressants, especially in patients receiving placebo. Rutherford and Roose (p. 723) evaluated factors in the failure of clinical trials to show differences between placebo and medication. Rater bias and regression to the mean in symptom ratings might be ameliorated by such mechanisms as ongoing rater training and centralized raters. Placebo response has not been linked to any specific patient characteristic but is less likely in patients with greater depressive severity.