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Long-Term Effects of Antidepressants on Balance, Equilibrium, and Postural Reflexes

To assess the long-term effects of antidepressant medication on balance, equilibrium, and postural reflexes, we studied 30 patients, ages 20-76 years, who had a diagnosis of depressive disorder (as defined by DSM-III-R criteria) and had been treated with tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for ≤1 year. They were assessed by a Balance Master System. The assessment included three tasks: static balance, rhythmic weight shift, and limits of stability. When compared with 30 nonhospitalized healthy controls (of comparable age and the same sex), patients who took TCAs showed impaired balance function in all main indices. The results suggest that the impairment of balance function includes motor coordination, fine-motor control, postural reflexes,maintaining equilibrium, and reaction time. No obvious impairment of balance function was observed in patients who took SSRIs.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:ETSU/oai:dc.etsu.edu:etsu-works-14052
Date31 July 1996
CreatorsLi, Xiaoshong, Hamdy, Ronald, Sandborn, William, Chi, David, Dyer, Allen
PublisherDigital Commons @ East Tennessee State University
Source SetsEast Tennessee State University
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typetext
SourceETSU Faculty Works

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