---
DOAJ_listed: '1'
OA_type: gold
_id: '15295'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: "Background: Benzodiazepines and antidepressants are effective agents for
the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), with the HAM-A frequently
used as a primary outcome measure. The GAD literature is inconsistent regarding
which medications are more effective for somatic versus psychic symptoms of GAD,
and treatment guidelines do not advocate for prescribing based on subtype. This
meta-analysis aimed to determine whether benzodiazepines and antidepressants have
a differential impact on the somatic versus psychic subscales of the HAM-A in
GAD.\r\n\r\nMethods: An electronic search was undertaken for randomized controlled
trials of either benzodiazepines or antidepressants for GAD that reported treatment
response using the HAM-A subscales. Data were extracted by independent reviewers.
A random effects assessment of weighted mean difference with 95% confidence intervals
and subgroup difference was applied. All analysis was done on SPSS 26. An assessment
of bias, and of quality of evidence was performed.\r\n\r\nResults: 24 randomized
controlled trials met the inclusion criteria: 18 antidepressant trials, 5 benzodiazepine
trials and 1 of both. 14 studies were assessed as having between some and high
risk of bias, while 10 were assessed as having low risk of bias. Benzodiazepines
(WMD of 1.81 [CI 1.03, 2.58]) were significantly more effective than antidepressants
(WMD of 0.83 [CI 0.64, 1.02]) for reducing somatic symptoms of GAD (Chi2 = 5.81,
p = 0.02), and were also more effective (WMD of 2.46 [CI 1.83, 3.09]) in reducing
psychic symptoms than antidepressants (WMD of 1.83 [CI 1.55, 2.10]), although
this comparison did not reach statistical significance (Chi2 = 3.31, p = 0.07).\r\n\r\nConclusion:
The finding that benzodiazepines were significantly more effective than antidepressants
for somatic symptoms needs to be weighed up against potential benefits of antidepressants
over benzodiazepines. It may be useful for future treatment guidelines for GAD
to explicitly consider symptom subtype."
article_number: '152479'
article_processing_charge: Yes
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Chad
full_name: Beyer, Chad
last_name: Beyer
- first_name: Christopher
full_name: Currin, Christopher
id: e8321fc5-3091-11eb-8a53-83f309a11ac9
last_name: Currin
orcid: 0000-0002-4809-5059
- first_name: Taryn
full_name: Williams, Taryn
last_name: Williams
- first_name: Dan J.
full_name: Stein, Dan J.
last_name: Stein
citation:
ama: Beyer C, Currin C, Williams T, Stein DJ. Meta-analysis of the comparative efficacy
of benzodiazepines and antidepressants for psychic versus somatic symptoms of
generalized anxiety disorder. Comprehensive Psychiatry. 2024;132. doi:10.1016/j.comppsych.2024.152479
apa: Beyer, C., Currin, C., Williams, T., & Stein, D. J. (2024). Meta-analysis
of the comparative efficacy of benzodiazepines and antidepressants for psychic
versus somatic symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. Comprehensive Psychiatry.
Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2024.152479
chicago: Beyer, Chad, Christopher Currin, Taryn Williams, and Dan J. Stein. “Meta-Analysis
of the Comparative Efficacy of Benzodiazepines and Antidepressants for Psychic
versus Somatic Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder.” Comprehensive Psychiatry.
Elsevier, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2024.152479.
ieee: C. Beyer, C. Currin, T. Williams, and D. J. Stein, “Meta-analysis of the comparative
efficacy of benzodiazepines and antidepressants for psychic versus somatic symptoms
of generalized anxiety disorder,” Comprehensive Psychiatry, vol. 132. Elsevier,
2024.
ista: Beyer C, Currin C, Williams T, Stein DJ. 2024. Meta-analysis of the comparative
efficacy of benzodiazepines and antidepressants for psychic versus somatic symptoms
of generalized anxiety disorder. Comprehensive Psychiatry. 132, 152479.
mla: Beyer, Chad, et al. “Meta-Analysis of the Comparative Efficacy of Benzodiazepines
and Antidepressants for Psychic versus Somatic Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety
Disorder.” Comprehensive Psychiatry, vol. 132, 152479, Elsevier, 2024,
doi:10.1016/j.comppsych.2024.152479.
short: C. Beyer, C. Currin, T. Williams, D.J. Stein, Comprehensive Psychiatry 132
(2024).
date_created: 2024-04-07T22:00:55Z
date_published: 2024-07-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2025-09-04T13:30:08Z
day: '01'
ddc:
- '570'
department:
- _id: TiVo
doi: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2024.152479
external_id:
isi:
- '001221136000001'
pmid:
- '38564872'
file:
- access_level: open_access
checksum: aadb57448b5f170761ed72cbcc31ba16
content_type: application/pdf
creator: dernst
date_created: 2025-01-13T10:47:20Z
date_updated: 2025-01-13T10:47:20Z
file_id: '18839'
file_name: 2024_ComprehensivePsychiatry_Beyer.pdf
file_size: 2874425
relation: main_file
success: 1
file_date_updated: 2025-01-13T10:47:20Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
intvolume: ' 132'
isi: 1
language:
- iso: eng
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
month: '07'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
pmid: 1
publication: Comprehensive Psychiatry
publication_identifier:
eissn:
- 1532-8384
issn:
- 0010-440X
publication_status: published
publisher: Elsevier
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: Meta-analysis of the comparative efficacy of benzodiazepines and antidepressants
for psychic versus somatic symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder
tmp:
image: /images/cc_by_nc_nd.png
legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode
name: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
(CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
short: CC BY-NC-ND (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: 317138e5-6ab7-11ef-aa6d-ffef3953e345
volume: 132
year: '2024'
...