World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) Guidelines for Biological Treatment of Unipolar Depressive Disorders, Part 1: Update 2013 on the acute and continuation treatment of unipolar depressive disorders

Abstract

To date, there is a variety of evidence-based antidepressant treatment options available. Nevertheless there is still a substantial proportion of patients not achieving full remission. In addition, somatic and psychiatric comorbidities and other special circumstances need to be more thoroughly investigated. Therefore, further high-quality informative randomized controlled trials are urgently needed.

Suicidality: prevention, detection and intervention

“…16 GPs who wish to assess patients for the symptoms and severity of depression (and associated anxiety) may use well-validated, self-report scales such as the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) or the Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD7). [17][18][19] The Patient Health Questionnaire includes a question regarding suicidality which can be a useful springboard for further discussion.…”

The Effect of Naltrexone on Memory Deficit Followed by Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

“…Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been previously implicated as an effective method for treatment of serious psychiatric disorders, such as major depressive disorder (MDD) (1). Although the predominant evidence suggests that no brain damage is caused by ECT, some findings oppose the statement (2).…”

Low-Dose Combination of Aripiprazole for Treatment of Severe Depression with Cognitive Impairment: Case Report

“…Aripiprazole has been considered as an effective adjuvant treatment strategy in randomized clinical trials and review articles [13][14][15][16]. The association of aripiprazole with atidepressants is currently considered to have more robust evidence than association with lithium [16,18] and has been shown to be related with increased plasma BDNF levels after 4 weeks of combination [19].…”

“…Aripiprazole has the approval of adjunctive treatment for these cases, after non-response to prior antidepressant monotherapy, by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but the recommended doses are lower than the doses used in schizophrenia, starting at a dose of 2-5mg/d with a maximum dose of 15mg/d [18]. Aripiprazole has been considered as an effective adjuvant treatment strategy in randomized clinical trials and review articles [13][14][15][16].…”