The Depression in Alzheimer's Disease Study (DIADS)

Inclusion Criteria

• •Inclusion:
• •Diagnosis of Probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) by NINCDS/ADRDA criteria (McKann et al., 1984), with a MMSE score greater than 10
• •Diagnosis of current major depressive episode (MD), by DSM-IV, based on the SCID-IV examination
• •Patients will be included even if they have a pre-AD history of unipolar depression
• •Patients who currently are being treated with antidepressants but continue to meet criteria for MD (i.e., have not responded to the medications) and who are willing to discontinue the other medication and enter the study also will be included
• •Currently residing in the community (own home,family member's home, or small group home) and agreeing to 13 weeks of followup in the study
• •Stable medical history and general health, in the opinion of the study psychiatrist
• •A caregiver who knows the patient well (spends at least 10 hours per week with him or her), and who is in reasonably good health, agrees to participate as well
• •Participant and his/her legal representative provide informed consent
• •Exclusion:
• •Use of sertraline is contraindicated, based on the Food and Drug Administration package insert for sertraline
• •Patient has a lifetime diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or pre-AD anxiety disorder, as determined by the SCID
• •Patient has a current substance use disorder, as determined by the SCID
• •Patient is acutely suicidal or requires inpatient psychiatric hospitalization, as determined by the study psychiatrist
• •No psychotropic medicine dose changes, including cholinesterase inhibitors, after study entry
• •May enter with any drug except another antidepressant.