Resumen de Pharmacological management of depressive disorders

Anthony J. Cleare, Roman Duncko

• This article outlines current guidelines for the pharmacological treatment of depression. For acute treatment of moderate to severe depression in the absence of specific factors, the recommendation is treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor or mirtazapine. Other options for acute antidepressant treatment are discussed, and advantages and disadvantages of specific drugs are outlined. Recommendations for next-step treatment for patients with an inadequate response include increasing the dose, switching to another antidepressant, augmentation with another agent or using a combination of antidepressants. Again, recommendations for specific drugs are outlined, and the common advantages and disadvantages of specific drugs are listed in a table format. The options for non-pharmacological treatments are briefly explored in regards to symptom severity and other clinical features, and a list of non-pharmacological treatment options is provided.