Improving Remission Rates in Major Depressive Disorder: A Case-Based Approach

MDD is one of the most frequently encountered conditions in clinical psychiatry. Despite the availability of efficacious and well-tolerated medications for the treatment of MDD, only one-third of patients diagnosed with MDD achieve remission with their initial treatment. It is thought that there are over 4 million US adults who are inadequately treated for MDD. Surveys of psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, and other clinicians who treat patients with MDD have found that a significant proportion of the respondents’ patients failed to have an adequate response to a trial of one or two antidepressants. When asked what treatment strategies were used beyond first-line therapy, the respondents revealed inconsistent and sometimes inappropriate approaches to management of inadequate MDD treatment response. In particular, the use of adjunctive therapies suggested a need for education on the current evidence for specific MDD treatment strategies. This activity was designed to meet the needs of participants in CME/CE activities provided by the CME Institute of Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc., and Medical Education Resources who have requested information on depression.