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	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

To the Editor: Dr Wagner and colleagues¹ concluded that "sertraline is an effective, safe, and well-tolerated short-term treatment for children and adolescents with MDD [major depressive disorder]." We have some questions about their methods.

First, the authors did not mention whether they assessed substance abuse or whether individuals with substance abuse were excluded from their study.

Second, although the authors stated that all investigators were required to pass a certification test for use of the Childrens' Depression Rating Scale–Revised (CDRS-R), it is unclear whether their interrater reliability was assessed.

Third, the authors excluded some randomized patients from their analyses. According to the principle of intention to treat (ITT), the authors could have assigned the "worst-case outcome" to the excluded patients.

Finally, more detailed tables would have been useful. The authors used P values to assess statistical significance. While this is at times useful, it is an arbitary value and the . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Maju Mathews, MD, MRCPsych, Dip Psych
Department of Psychiatry
Drexel University College of Medicine
Philadelpia, Pa

Manu Mathews, MD
Department of Psychiatry
East Surrey Hospital
Redhill, England

Joanne Mathews, MD
Department of Psychiatry
West Suffolk Hospital
Burys St Edmonds, England

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