Because the survey results were obtained from a select population of psychiatrists, it is evident that combination and augmentation techniques are commonly used in treating MDD patients. The use of this complex pharmacotherapy has probably developed as a result of attempts by clinicians to treat depressive patients until they achieve remission. It is interesting that [...]
Our initial verbal polling of the audience suggested that the “usual” depressed patient in clinical practice would receive two or three psychotropic drugs at any given time after sequential administration. It was clear, among the psychiatrists in the room, that we could not adequately define an “average” depressed patient; however, the question posed suggested that [...]
At the 2005 American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, an interactive symposium, entitled “Treating Depressive Illnesses: Evidence-Based Updates,” was presented on the topic of the treatment of MDD. One lecturer and co-author (Dr. Schwartz) used an audience-response keypad system to ask the 601-member audience of international psychiatric practitioners about their individual pharmacological practices [...]
INTRODUCTION Depression is a socially debilitating illness, sometimes lifelong, that afflicts the U.S. population with an estimated lifetime risk of 16%. Unfortunately, only a third of depressed patients are receiving any form of treatment, and among the ones who are, only one half to two thirds ever achieve a full response to therapy.
