Weekend Doctor: Antidepressants in the long term

Weekend Doctor: Antidepressants in the long term

By Christian Steiner, MD, Psychiatry  Psychiatric Center of Northwest Ohio The long-term use of antidepressants is a critical aspect of managing major depressive disorder (MDD) to prevent relapse and recurrence. Clinical guidelines, such as those from the American Psychiatric Association, recommend maintenance therapy with antidepressants for at least six months after achieving remission to prevent relapse. For patients with a high risk of recur…

Antidepressant prescribing in Australian primary care: time to reevaluate

Given limited benefit in mild to moderate mental illness, limited evidence demonstrating benefit and safety with long term antidepressant therapy, and the difficulties that people can experience stopping antidepressants, better decision support and informed consent for starting antidepressants are needed

Antidepressant effects of ketamine in depressed patients

Background: A growing body of preclinical research suggests that brain glutamate systems may be involved in the pathophysiology of major depression an…