Prevention of Relapse in Generalized Social Phobia: Results of a 24-Week Study in Responders to 20 Weeks of Sertraline Treatment

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy, tolerability, and effects on quality of life of sertraline, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, in the prevention of relapse of generalized social phobia. Fifty adult outpatients with generalized social phobia who were rated much or very much improved on the Clinical Global Impression Scale of Improvement (CGI-I) after 20 weeks of sertraline treatment (50-200 mg/day) were randomly assigned in a one-to-one ratio to either continue double-blind treatment with sertraline or immediately switch to placebo for another 24 weeks. The initial 20-week study was placebo-controlled, and 15 responders to placebo also continued to receive double-blind placebo treatment in the continuation study. Eighty-eight percent of patients in the sertraline-continuation group and only 40% of patients in the placebo-switch and placebo-responder groups completed the study. In intent-to-treat endpoint analyses, 1 (4%) of 25 patients in the sertraline-continuation group and 9 (36%) of 25 patients in the placebo-switch group had relapsed at study endpoint (chi2 = 8.0, Fisher exact test, p = 0.01). The relative risk (hazards ratio) for relapse associated with placebo-switch relative to sertraline-continuation treatment was 10.2 (95% confidence interval, 1.3-80.7). Mean CGI-Severity, Marks Fear Questionnaire (MFQ) Social Phobia subscale, and Duke Brief Social Phobia Scale (BSPS) total scores were reduced by 0.07, 0.34, and 1.86 in the Sertraline-Continuation group and increased by 0.88, 4.09, and 5.99 in the Placebo-Switch group (all F > 5.3, p < 0.03), respectively. CGI-Severity, MFQ Social Phobia subscale, and BSPS scores also increased in the Placebo-Responder group. Discontinuations because of lack of efficacy were 4% in the sertraline-continuation group, 28% in the placebo-switch group (chi2 = 5.36, Fisher exact test, p = 0.049), relative to sertraline, and 27% in the placebo-responder group. Sertraline was effective in preventing relapse of generalized social phobia. Future research should assess whether improvements may be maintained or further increased by longer periods of treatment or through the addition of cognitive-behavioral techniques.

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