Book contents
- Seminars in Clinical Psychopharmacology
- College Seminars Series
- Seminars in Clinical Psychopharmacology
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Preface
- Editor’s Note on Nomenclature
- Neuroscience-Based Nomenclature Glossary
- Abbreviations
- Part 1 Basic Science and General Principles
- Part 2 Psychopharmacology of the Main Psychotropic Drug Groups
- Chapter 7 Drugs to Treat Depression
- Chapter 8 Drugs to Treat Anxiety and Insomnia
- Chapter 9 Drugs to Treat Schizophrenia and Psychosis (Dopamine Antagonists and Partial Agonists Other Than Clozapine)
- Chapter 10 Clozapine
- Chapter 11 Lithium
- Chapter 12 Anticonvulsants for Mental Disorders: Valproate, Lamotrigine, Carbamazepine and Oxcarbazepine
- Chapter 13 Drugs to Treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Chapter 14 Drugs to Treat Dementia
- Chapter 15 Drugs to Treat Substance Use Disorders
- Chapter 16 Electroconvulsive Therapy and Neuromodulation Therapies
- Part 3 Specific Therapeutic Areas
- Index
- References
Chapter 7 - Drugs to Treat Depression
from Part 2 - Psychopharmacology of the Main Psychotropic Drug Groups
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 May 2020
- Seminars in Clinical Psychopharmacology
- College Seminars Series
- Seminars in Clinical Psychopharmacology
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Preface
- Editor’s Note on Nomenclature
- Neuroscience-Based Nomenclature Glossary
- Abbreviations
- Part 1 Basic Science and General Principles
- Part 2 Psychopharmacology of the Main Psychotropic Drug Groups
- Chapter 7 Drugs to Treat Depression
- Chapter 8 Drugs to Treat Anxiety and Insomnia
- Chapter 9 Drugs to Treat Schizophrenia and Psychosis (Dopamine Antagonists and Partial Agonists Other Than Clozapine)
- Chapter 10 Clozapine
- Chapter 11 Lithium
- Chapter 12 Anticonvulsants for Mental Disorders: Valproate, Lamotrigine, Carbamazepine and Oxcarbazepine
- Chapter 13 Drugs to Treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Chapter 14 Drugs to Treat Dementia
- Chapter 15 Drugs to Treat Substance Use Disorders
- Chapter 16 Electroconvulsive Therapy and Neuromodulation Therapies
- Part 3 Specific Therapeutic Areas
- Index
- References
Summary
This chapter reviews the main drugs used in the treatment of unipolar depressive disorders. At the outset it should be noted that the term ‘antidepressant’ is problematic given that drugs traditionally regarded as ‘antidepressants’ are effective in treating psychiatric syndromes other than depression, most notably various anxiety disorders. Furthermore, some drugs not traditionally classified as ‘antidepressants’ are effective in treating depression either in monotherapy or as adjunctive agents to antidepressants. Examples of the former include lamotrigine and quetiapine, which have efficacy in treating bipolar depression, and lithium and some antipsychotics which are effective in augmenting the efficacy of reuptake inhibiting antidepressants in major depressive disorder. Despite these issues, the term ‘antidepressant’ is widely used and is likely to remain so.
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- Seminars in Clinical Psychopharmacology , pp. 227 - 267Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020