CRC DEPRESS TRTMNT STRAT MGT PDF

Preface

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most prevalent mental illnesses and may be one of the most dangerous considering resultant suicide rates. Bona fide treatment options date back to the 1800s. Research and clinical experience have offered us several effective forms of psychotherapy and multiple effective medications. There are also newer medications and somatic treatments in the pipeline that may offer additional treatment options in the future. Despite treatment, it is rare to bring a depressed patient to a full, sustained remission. Therefore, polypharmacy, psychotherapy, and multi-modal treatments are the norm.

The book provides an authoritative and up-to-date review of current knowledge regarding the treatment of MDD. We briefly cover symptomatology, diagnosis, epidemiology, and etiological theories as a review, followed by a more in-depth look at the pharmacodynamic history of FDA antidepressant approval and the purported mechanism of action by which these drugs treat depression. This gives a clear review of the antidepressants with links to the etiological theories. At the close of every pharmacologic chapter, the parallels for psychotherapy are considered. A final chapter describes newer treatment options and research endeavors currently in development.

The major clinical segments of this book discuss research data and clinical experience regarding acute outcomes, long-term outcomes, and combination treatment outcomes to improve effectiveness and tolerability. Rational polypharmacy and combination with psychotherapy are discussed, and future treatments that may be used in combination strategy are discussed as well.

The closing segment evaluates the possible future of treating major depression. We attempt to evaluate the pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy pipeline of treatments soon to be available or currently being studied.

We discuss, as well, genetics and neuro-imaging as cutting-edge techniques that will eventually improve our ability to treat major depressive disorder.

This book was written by key authors and provides a state-of-the-art review and clinical compendium about treating depression with multiple therapies. The fundamental focus was a book tailored to the multiple needs of those who prescribe psychotropics and/or perform psychotherapy, serving as a reference, practical review, journal watch, and clinical guideline in one convenient form. Psychiatrists, residents in training, nurse practitioners, psychologists, social workers, and even primary care physicians who do the majority of antidepressant prescribing should find this book a useful tool.