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Objective:

The Enhancing Recovery in Coronary Heart Disease study was a multicenter clinical trial in which patients with depression and/or low perceived social support after an acute myocardial infarction were randomly assigned to an intervention consisting of cognitive behavior therapy and, in some cases, sertraline, or to usual care. There was no difference in survival between the groups. A possible reason why the intervention failed to affect survival is that too many patients with mild, transient depression were enrolled. Another is that some patients died too soon to complete the intervention. This analysis evaluates whether there was a difference in late (ie,≥ 6 months after the myocardial infarction) mortality among initially depressed patients who had a Beck Depression Inventory score≥ 10 and a past history of major depression, and who completed the 6-month post-treatment assessment. It also examines the …