http://exhibits.library.stonybrook.edu/mfp/files/original/0904b814105961b72aa910c6689fd9e1.pdf aa3189dfc0abf09184062fe5a4b0f7c1 PDF Text Text a «a: j-ryup .. "s-‘ww --7 January 28, i9 88 ‘ Mark Abramowicz, M.D. The Medical Letter New Rochelle, NY Dear Dr. Abramowicz, i am disappointed with present methods of psychoactive drug evaluation. The debacles in assessment which are cited in the article on fluoxetine are matched by the over-investment in the use of benzodiazepines as antidepressants. The present methods of contract assessment in out-patients, with inadequate monitoring of the case material or the 'blindness' of the assessors; the inflation of rating scale data to suggest that individuals can be working with Hamilton Depression Scores above 22; the very high fees paid assessor groups (up to $2500/patient); the failure to consider the likelihood that practitioners do know when the patients begin a new medication and therefore know when to inflate and deflate scores; and the lack of placebo controls all serve to make modern assessments of efficacy of antidepressant and anti-anxiety agents highly suspicious. - While I have not worked with this compound, 1 would still caution readers more strongly -- " Until effective in-patient trials of fluoxetine against placebo and active antidepressants are published in indeprendent review journals, the responsible physician will use these compounds only in patients properly cautioned that the results are tenuous and that the treatment must be seen as experimental." Thank you for sending me the Medical Letter. The reports remain invaluable. mw’W'V-l" Sincerely yours, w ' no Max Fink, M.D. Professor of Psychiatry wmv-mmn-W'IWW'dW-IW "I“lwu'fl‘x-u'fwhz 'r-""WF'WIW M1?! """mel n any-M P.S. Much has changed in the treatment of severely depressed patients with electroconculsive therapy. Perhaps it is time for the readers of the The Medical Letter to read about the efficacy and safety of this treatment. J � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Correspondence Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Correspondence to: Abramowicz, Mark Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context mfp-05-00-031-3-071 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1988 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource <a title="Fink, Max, 1923-" href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n79039548" target="_blank">Fink, Max, 1923-</a> Subject The topic of the resource Correspondence -- Correspondence Relation A related resource The Max Fink Collection Description An account of the resource Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a title="IN COPYRIGHT - EDUCATIONAL USE PERMITTED" href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/" target="_blank">IN COPYRIGHT - EDUCATIONAL USE PERMITTED</a> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries. Stony Brook University Libraries (State University of New York). Language A language of the resource en-US Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Correspondence