Applying Antidepressant Study Results to Clinical Practice

Although some controversy surrounds the efficacy of antidepressants, meta-analytic studies confirm that antidepressants are a useful treatment, particularly in patients with moderate-to-severe depression. Evidence indicates that treating patients for 6 to 8 weeks before switching or augmenting medications, monitoring and addressing tolerability and adherence problems, and using measurement-based care and an algorithm can optimize treatment outcomes in patients with depression. Applying antidepressant study results to clinical practice can help to ensure that patients with depression receive effective treatment, but information from drug registration studies is of limited use in clinical practice.