Demographic Variables, Design Characteristics, and Effect Sizes of Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Monotherapy Trials of Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar Depression

Although a statistically significantly greater treatment effect size was noted in MDD relative to bipolar depression studies, the absolute magnitude of the difference was numerically small. Therefore, the present study suggests no clinically significant differences in the overall short-term efficacy of pharmacologic monotherapies for MDD and bipolar depression.