The Role of Norepinephrine in the Treatment of Depression

Despite recent strides in treatment, depression remains a common, costly, and often deadly disease, Dr. Charles B. Nemeroff stated. More than 1.2 million persons are diagnosed with an affective disorder in the United States each year, an incidence of approximately 5% to 10%, and depression is more prevalent than arthritis, diabetes, or heart disease. Depression is also a costly disease: in 1990 it was estimated that in the United States alone the cost of depression approached $44 billion, including direct costs for medication, physician services, etc., as well as indirect costs such as increased morbidity, excessive absenteeism, and reduced productivity. Depression also has a high mortality: up to 15% of severely depressed patients will ultimately commit suicide.