Patient characteristics
Baseline patient demographics are summarized in Table 2. The prevalence of melancholic features in the overall patient population was 67.1% (1572/2342). The melancholic cohort had a significantly higher proportion of females compared with the non-melancholic group (69.5% vs. 60.8%, p < .001). Melancholic patients also had a significantly lower mean body weight than non-melancholics (77.7 kg vs. 81.3 kg, p < .001). Mean age at enrollment did not differ significantly between melancholic and non-melancholic patients.
Mean baseline HAMD17 total scores and CGI-S scores were significantly higher (more severe illness) in melancholic patients compared with non-melancholics (HAMD17: 22.3 vs. 20.5, p < .001; CGI-S: 4.41 vs. 4.26, p < .001). There was a marginally significant difference in VAS overall pain severity at baseline (31.7 vs. 31.0 for melancholic and non-melancholic groups, respectively; p = .053), although the clinical relevance of this small difference is questionable.
Table 2  Baseline demographics and illness severity (all studies)†  † Includes patients from paroxetine and fluoxetine treatment arms (N = 429).