Published randomized trials comparing all SSRIs licensed in the United Kingdom (fluoxetine hydrochloride, fluvoxamine maleate, citalopram hydrobromide or hydrochloride, escitalopram oxalate, sertraline hydrochloride, and paroxetine hydrochloride) with placebo in the short-term treatment of unipolar depression in adults were sought by a single reviewer (M.J.T.). Trials were identified by (1) searching CENTRAL, The Cochrane Collaboration database of controlled trials (in The Cochrane Library, issue 1, 2005; using the search terms SSRI or fluoxetine or fluvoxamine or citalopram or escitalopram or sertraline or paroxetine and the key words placebo and depression); (2) the reference lists of identified RCTs; and (3) the reference lists of other systematic reviews.1 ,15 (link),20 (link),21 (link) The CENTRAL bibliographic database includes the results of group searches of the MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycLIT, PSYNDEX, and LILACS databases and controlled trials from traditionally hard-to-access sources, such as conference proceedings.22 (link) Identification of eligible trials was further maximized by consulting previous reviews, and searches were not restricted to English language studies. Trials were excluded if they were limited to older adults (age >65 years) or specific comorbidities along with depressive episodes (eg, comorbid substance dependence). In view of the study hypothesis, trials were included only if they reported outcome measures for at least 2 time points in the first 4 weeks of treatment.