Gender-specific response to depression treatment.

Gender-specific responses to pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy for depression are virtually unknown. Early studies rarely examined treatment response by gender, and the small number of males studied has led to inaccurate comparisons between male and female response. This article addresses conceptual issues and reviews what little can be ascertained from earlier studies of the relationship between gender and treatment outcome. It also presents data from a series of studies conducted over the last 15 years at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.