The Complete Response: Addressing Antidepressant Failure in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a profoundly debilitating, lifelong disorder. Many patients do not achieve remission with initial first-line antidepressant therapy, which is typically comprised of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Subsequently, patients endure a high burden of treatment failure, though it is often unrecognized. Measurement-based care (MBC) is a proven strategy for monitoring treatment effectiveness and signaling clinicians when alternative strategies are warranted, yet MBC is not routinely implemented into practice.

This CME Outfitters webcast will provide family medicine clinicians with real-world strategies to incorporate MBC into routine practice to rapidly detect suboptimal treatment outcomes. In addition, faculty experts will guide family medicine clinicians through developing safe and effective alternative antidepressant therapy with unique MOAs when patients experience treatment failures with initial SSRIs/SNRIs.

Learning Objectives
At the end of this CME/CE activity, participants should be able to:

- Incorporate MBC into primary care settings to identify suboptimal treatment responses with initial antidepressant therapy for MDD that can impede remission and functional recovery.
- Evaluate the impact of antidepressants with unique mechanisms of action (MOAs) on safety, efficacy, and tolerability relative to traditional antidepressants.
- Apply best practices for switching to antidepressants with a different MOA when initial response to SSRI/SNRI treatment results in residual symptoms, inadequate response, or intolerable side effects.