RESISTANT CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
DISORDERS
United States sales of antidepressants
in 2003 were approximately 12 billion dollars.
 
However, only one third of patients who were diagnosed with depression still
failed to respond to standard drugs and another third showed partial response.
J
Clin Psychiatry.2001;62 Suppl 16:18-25.
Clinical features of
treatment-resistant depression.
Kornstein
SG, Schneider
RK.
Department of Psychiatry, Medical
College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond
23298-0253, USA.
As many as 30% to 40% of patients with major
depressive disorder are unresponsive to a trial of antidepressant
medication. Many patients labeled with treatment-resistant depression
actually have pseudoresistance, in that they have been inadequately
treated or are misdiagnosed. Others may have unrecognized comorbid
psychiatric or general medical conditions that contribute to
treatment resistance. Variables such as gender, family history, age
at onset, severity, and chronicity have also been evaluated as
possible risk factors for treatment-resistant depression. This
article reviews the current literature regarding the clinical
characteristics of treatment-resistant depression, with particular
attention to the relevance of these factors for clinical decision
making.
PMID: 11480880 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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