Remission in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): effects of sertraline as assessed by the Davidson Trauma Scale, Clinical Global Impressions and the Clinician-Administered PTSD scale

Rates of remission were examined in two controlled 12-week studies of sertraline and placebo for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The performance of three scales was evaluated: the self-rated Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS), and two interviewer scales: the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) and Clinical Global Impressions (CGI). Sertraline proved significantly superior to placebo with respect to remission on all three ratings. Rates of remission were very similar for all scales, ranging from 23.1-26.3% for sertraline and 13.9-14.9% for placebo. Traditional thresholds for the CAPS and DTS were tested relative to the CGI and to each other. The CAPS and DTS thresholds of <20 and <18 were found to be valid. (C) 2004 Lippincott Williams Wilkins.