What is "star*d"

Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) was a collaborative study on the treatment of depression, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. Its main focus was on the treatment of depression in patients where the first prescribed antidepressant proved inadequate. A key feature of the study was its aim to be more generalizable to real clinical situations; this was done through the use of minimal exclusion criteria, incorporating patient preference, and not blinding the treatments (i.e. the patient and clinician both knew what treatment the patient was receiving). The STAR*D trial included remission (the near-absence of symptoms, rather than simply a reduction in symptoms) as an outcome measure, as there is evidence that patients with depression who achieve remission function better and are less prone to relapse than those who achieve only partial improvement in symptoms