Toggle Main Menu Toggle Search

Open Access padlockePrints

Treatment of major depression: Is improvement enough?

Lookup NU author(s): Emeritus Professor Nicol Ferrier

Downloads

Full text for this publication is not currently held within this repository. Alternative links are provided below where available.


Abstract

The goals of antidepressant treatment are to induce remission and prevent relapse or recurrence. While response is the standard criterion applied to comparisons of antidepressant drugs indicating an improvement from baseline, the more stringent criterion of remission is more relevant to clinical practice because it indicates that the patient is asymptomatic (i.e., "well"). Patients may enter into a remission or partial remission, which is characterized by the presence of residual symptoms and an increased risk of relapse, impairment, and suicide. Studies with many antidepressants demonstrate response rates of 50% to 60% but remission rates of only 20% to 30%. Venlafaxine is an antidepressant that is characterized as a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI). Using the criterion of remission, placebo-controlled and comparative trials demonstrate a higher remission rate with venlafaxine than with other antidepressants, thus improving the proportion of patients who are "well." Selection of optimal antidepressant therapy should consider drugs that have the greatest potential to induce remission.


Publication metadata

Author(s): Ferrier IN

Publication type: Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstract)

Publication status: Published

Conference Name: Goal of Antidepressant Therapy: Response or Remission and Recovery?

Year of Conference: 1999

Pages: 10-14

ISSN: 0160-6689

Publisher: Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

URL: http://www.psychiatrist.com/private/supplenet/v60s06/v60s0603.pdf

Notes: The satellite symposium was held at the 21st Collegium Internationale Neuropsychopharmacologicum Congress

Library holdings: Search Newcastle University Library for this item

Series Title: Journal of Clinical Psychiatry

ISBN:


Share