Drugs are a mainstay of efficient treatment for depression

Drugs are a mainstay of efficient treatment for depression

In their fortnightly review on antidepressants in depression (p 1188) Spigset and Mårtenssen come to similar conclusions toMalt et al. The evidence suggests that most patients with majordepression are best treated with a combination of antidepressantsand psychotherapy and that in general no drug is clearly moreeffective than another. Their suggested approach is to prefernewer antidepressants in mild and moderate depression (where sideeffects are more important to patients) and tricyclic antidepressantsin more severely depressed patients, though the patient's responseto drugs in a previous episode remains a valuableguide.