Management of Depression, Part 2: Treatment Options

Abstract

Clinical depression is a commonly occurring and profoundly disabling condition that affects approximately 4%, or nearly 350 million people, worldwide according to the World Health Organization. Managing depression is challenging due to the marked variability in biological contributors, the heterogeneity of the illness, psychosocial history, current stresses exacerbating the condition, medical and psychiatric co-occurring conditions, lifestyle, and motivation and willingness to accept and engage in treatment recommendations. Mental health professionals such as master-level counselors, psychologists, or psychiatrists are specially trained to identify and treat depression; however, a significant amount of depression presents in primary care medical settings. This review covers treatment of depression with psychotherapy, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), and antidepressant medication, as well as treatment course and long-term depression treatment. Tables list CAM depression treatments, nonnutraceutical CAM therapies, managing antidepressant side effects, tricyclic antidepressants, serotonin reuptake inhibitors, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, norepinephrine dopamine reuptake inhibitor, alpha2 antagonists, serotonin-2 antagonist/reuptake inhibitors, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, food restrictions with monoamine oxidase inhibitors, managing partial response/treatment-resistant depression, and serotonin receptor modulators. This review contains 15 tables and 98 references Key words: antidepressant medication, clinical depression, depression, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, nonpharmacologic depression treatment, omega-3 fatty acids, S-adenosylmethionine, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, St. John’s wort, tricyclic antidepressants