4 Recent Progress in the Development of New Antidepressant Drugs

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the recent progress in the development of new antidepressant drugs. Drugs are available that are generally effective in most patients and that have less anticholinergic activity and areless cardiotoxic than the tricyclic agents and monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors Sadness is a normal short-term response to a stress or some loss. Sometimes this mood is outside (in intensity, duration, or both) the limits accepted as “normal” and constitutes a syndrome involving psychic and psychosomatic symptoms. Depression may be classified as “reactive” (or neurotic or situational), which is precipitated by an acute and stressful event, or “endogenous” (sometimes termed “psychotic” depression when more severe symptoms are present), which may be genetically determined and associated with biochemical abnormalities. Most endogenously depressed patients suffer only from depression (unipolar), while some may experience depression with intermittent episodes of mania (bipolar or manic-depressive illness). Patients with endogenous depression may experience a life-disturbing event so that their endogenous features may become complicated with neurotic symptoms leading to so called mixed depression. Affective disorders (including depression and mania) are a worldwide problem recognized in all cultures.