title: Psychopharmacologic treatment of depression.
abstract: The authors emphasize the favorable response of most patients with major depression to appropriate pharmacotherapy, and present a decision-tree approach to the pharmacotherapy of major depression. Also discussed are use of contemporary clinical nosology and neuroendocrine diagnostic tests to identify candidates for pharmacotherapy and/or ECT, use of secondary tricyclics because of their lower incidence of side-effects, monitoring plasma levels of antidepressants to achieve therapeutic levels, and potentiating tricyclic nonresponders with T3 or lithium.
mesh_terms: D000341:Affective Disorders, Psychotic / Q000188:drug therapy; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003891:Desipramine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003907:Dexamethasone; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004357:Drug Synergism; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008094:Lithium / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors / Q000097:blood; D009661:Nortriptyline / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors; D014284:Triiodothyronine; D003907:Dexamethasone; D008094:Lithium; D009661:Nortriptyline; D003891:Desipramine