Mirtazapine treatment of social phobia in women: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

• Published in: Journal of clinical psychopharmacology Vol. 25; no. 6; p. 580
• Main Authors: Muehlbacher, Moritz, Nickel, Marius K, Nickel, Cerstin, Kettler, Christian, Lahmann, Claas, Pedrosa Gil, Francisco, Leiberich, Peter K, Rother, Nadine, Bachler, Egon, Fartacek, Reinhold, Kaplan, Patrick, Tritt, Karin, Mitterlehner, Ferdinand, Anvar, Javaid, Rother, Wolfhardt K, Loew, Thomas H, Egger, Christoph
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.12.2005
• Subjects: Adult; Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic - therapeutic use; Double-Blind Method; Female; Health Status; Health Surveys; Humans; Mianserin - analogs & derivatives; Mianserin - therapeutic use; Mirtazapine; Phobic Disorders - drug therapy; Psychological Tests; Quality of Life; Treatment Outcome
• DOI: 10.1097/01.jcp.0000186871.04984.8d
• ISSN: 0271-0749

Social phobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by extreme fear and phobic avoidance of social and performance situations and by a relatively poor health-related quality of life. The goal of this study was to compare the efficacy of mirtazapine versus placebo in the treatment of patients with social phobia. In 2004, we conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of mirtazapine in 66 female subjects from the general population meeting the criteria for social phobia. The subjects were randomly assigned in a 1:1 manner to mirtazapine (n = 33) or placebo (n = 33). The treatment lasted 10 weeks. Seven patients dropped out. Primary outcome measures were self-reported changes on the Social Phobia Inventory, Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, and Health Survey (SF-36). In comparison with the placebo group and according to the intent-to-treat principle, significant differences on the Social Phobia Inventory and Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale scales (all P < 0.001), as well as on most (5 from 8) scales of SF-36 (all P < 0.001), were observed in the mirtazapine-treated subjects. All patients tolerated mirtazapine relatively well. Mirtazapine appears to be an effective agent in the treatment of social phobia in women and in the improvement of their health-related quality of life.