Interventions for preventing relapse or recurrence of major depressive disorder in adults in a primary care setting: a network meta-analysis

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows:

The aim is to assess, using network meta-analysis (NMA), the effectiveness and safety of interventions for preventing relapse-recurrence of depression in adults in a primary care setting. NMA is a technique for comparing three or more interventions simultaneously in a single analysis by combining both direct and indirect evidence across a network of studies.

The objectives are to:

  • estimate the relative effectiveness of pharmacological, psychological and other interventions to prevent relapse-recurrence, compared with each other and controls (e.g. pill placebo, treatment as usual) on relapse-recurrence outcomes and adverse events;

  • assess the effect of interventions on quality of life outcomes and social and occupational functioning;

  • estimate the relative ranking of included interventions on relapse-recurrence, quality of life, and adverse events;

  • summarise availability and principal findings of eligible economic evaluations.

This is a protocol.