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Therapeutic armamentarium for treating depression.

Postgraduate medicine
July 1, 2010
Robert H Howland
Journal ArticleReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to provide an overview of treatment strategies for depression, including nonstandard alternatives like light therapy.

Results Summary

The abstract mentions light therapy as a nonstandard alternative to conventional antidepressant treatments, but does not provide specific findings on its effectiveness. It is grouped with other therapies like exercise and sleep deprivation.

Population

Not specified (general depression patients implied).

Effective Dosage

Not mentioned

Duration

Not mentioned

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (10)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
antidepressant medications
neutral
treating depression
-
-
available as first-choice options
#1
depression-focused psychotherapies
neutral
treating depression
-
-
available as first-choice options
#2
switching to an alternative antidepressant therapy
neutral
satisfactory treatment response
patients who have not had a satisfactory treatment response
-
main strategies
#3
adding a second antidepressant therapy
neutral
satisfactory treatment response
patients who have not had a satisfactory treatment response
-
main strategies
#4
medication combinations
neutral
-
-
-
some have been shown to be effective
#5
exercise
neutral
treating depression
-
-
nonstandard alternatives
#6
light therapy
neutral
treating depression
-
-
nonstandard alternatives
#7
sleep deprivation
neutral
treating depression
-
-
nonstandard alternatives
#8
various complementary and alternative therapies
neutral
treating depression
-
-
nonstandard alternatives
#9
various neuromodulation therapies
neutral
treating chronic and refractory forms of depression
patients with chronic and refractory forms of depression
-
available or are being investigated
#10
Abstract

Depressive disorders are highly prevalent and are a leading cause of disability, morbidity, and mortality worldwide; however, they often remain undertreated or untreated. This article provides a broad overview of the many strategies for treating depression. More than 24 antidepressant medications and depression-focused psychotherapies are available as first-choice options for treating depression. When patients have not had a satisfactory treatment response, the 2 main strategies are switching to an alternative antidepressant therapy or adding a second antidepressant therapy. A large number of medication combinations have been reported in the literature, and some have been shown to be effective in controlled studies. Nonstandard alternatives to conventional antidepressant treatments include exercise, light therapy, sleep deprivation, and various complementary and alternative therapies. For more chronic and refractory forms of depression, various neuromodulation therapies are available or are being investigated. Because depressive disorders are common in primary care and other medical settings, medical practitioners should be aware of the therapeutic armamentarium available for treating depression.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
Antidepressive AgentsCombined Modality TherapyComplementary TherapiesDepressive DisorderDrug Therapy, CombinationElectric Stimulation TherapyElectroconvulsive TherapyExercise TherapyHumansPhototherapyPsychotherapyRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicSleep DeprivationTranscranial Magnetic Stimulation
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy70/10
Quality60/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations9
Citations/Year0.6
Relative Citation Ratio0.31
NIH Percentile16.2%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.25
Weight Score1.00
Normalized Score0.60
Related Supplements
Therapeutic armamentarium for treating depression. | Panacea Index