[Biological treatment of depression]

Pharmacotherapy remains the main medical means of treating depression, and constant progress during recent years has led to the present availability of many effective and well tolerated drugs. Some essential conditions should be present for optimum therapeutic efficacy. The appropriate indications should be precisely defined. The most active and best tolerated product should be chosen for each patient. The medical treatment should be associated with psychotherapy. Finally, the patient should be followed-up with regard to restoration of his relations with his family, social and professional groups. Much progress remains to be made. The most important are better knowledge of the mechanisms of action of antidepressants and of the pathophysiopsychological mechanisms of depression. Some rare cases of very severe depression, either unresponsive to medical treatment or when such treatment is contraindicated, still require the use of electroconvulsive therapy. Light therapy is used in seasonal affective disorder.