Treatment of refractory depression

Abstract

Treatment of refractory depression is a common challenge for mental health professionals. To assure optimal treatment, the clinician should first determine that adequate dosage has been employed for an adequate duration. Next there are a variety of augmentation strategies or alternative antidepressants that could be considered. This report reviews the evidence supporting these strategies, describes their implementation, compares their effectiveness, and offers suggestions for approaching the array of treatments available. Depression and Anxiety 5:165–174, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Evidence-Based Pharmacologic Interventions for Geriatric Depression

“…Augmentation strategies are added early in treatment to accentuate the clinical response, around 4 to 6 weeks of standard antidepressant treatment for patients who have limited improvement [73]. In patients who experience a partial response to treatment, some clinicians combine antidepressants in the hope of realizing synergistic effects.…”