New Indications for Antidepressants

The second and third generation of antidepressants, i.e., the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, nefazodone,venlafaxine, and mirtazapine, are proving to be useful in a variety of seemingly diverse disorders, includingmost anxiety disorders. In addition to receiving approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA) for major depressive disorder, some of the newer antidepressants have received FDA approval for otherdisorders, e.g., generalized anxiety disorder (venlafaxine), bulimia nervosa (fluoxetine), obsessive-compulsivedisorder (fluvoxamine, paroxetine, sertraline, and fluoxetine), social phobia (paroxetine), panic disorder (sertraline,paroxetine), and posttraumatic stress disorder (sertraline). In controlled studies, these agents have alsoshown usefulness in premenstrual dysphoric disorder, borderline personality disorder, obesity, smoking cessation,and alcoholism. This article describes the new and potential indications for recently developed antidepressantsand the studies that suggested these indications.