Psychiatria pre prax 4/2020

Challenges and strategies in the management of treatment-resistant depression

Similar to major depressive disorder, treatment-resistant depression is a common and burdensome medical and socio-economic condition with poor functional outcomes and limited treatment options. The usually accepted description of treatment-resistant depression is a failure to respond to two or more antidepressants. This narrow-minded definition fails to address real-world situations such as patients who partially respond and those who have tried adjunctive or combination strategies. Current treatment methods of treatment-resistant depression remain principally empirical. Moreover, limited treatment options exist for patient with major depression after second-line therapy.

Keywords: depression, treatment-resistant depression, antidepressants, remision, treatment response