Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were eligible.
Specific interventions included in the review
Studies of treatments for minor depression or PMDD, including anti-depressants, psychological treatments and complimentary treatments, were eligible. The treatments examined in the trials for minor depression included amitriptyline, minaprine, paroxetine, problem-solving therapy (PST) and cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). The comparators for such trials were placebo and no intervention. The treatments examined in the trials for PMDD included serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI) therapy (sertraline, fluoxetine, citalopram, paroxetine, fluvoxamine), non-SSRI pharmacotherapy (venlafaxine, progesterone, clomipramine, alprazolam), and bright-light therapy. Placebo was the comparator for all such trials, and the duration of these trials ranged from one to four menstrual cycles.
Participants included in the review
Studies of patients with minor depression or PMDD, who did not meet formal criteria for major depression or dysthymia, were eligible.
Outcomes assessed in the review
The authors did not specify any a priori inclusion or exclusion criteria relating to the outcomes. The outcomes assessed in the included studies included improvement in depressive symptoms, psychological symptoms, physical symptoms, mental health functioning (using the SF-36 scale) and global clinical assessments.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The authors did not state how the papers were selected for the review, or how many reviewers performed the selection.