Search research articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Antidepressant augmentation and combinations.

¹Depression Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. cdording@partners.org

The Psychiatric Clinics of North America

|January 9, 2001

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

SAMe and sexual functioning.

European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists·2011

Same journal

Digital Mental Health: Progress but not Perfection.

The Psychiatric clinics of North America·2026

Same journal

Advances in Mental Health Technology.

The Psychiatric clinics of North America·2026

Same journal

The Future of Digital Mental Health: A Literature Review.

The Psychiatric clinics of North America·2026

Same journal

Assessment and Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder via Digital Mental Health Technology.

The Psychiatric clinics of North America·2026

Same journal

Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder via Mental Health Technology.

The Psychiatric clinics of North America·2026

Same journal

Digital Mental Health Treatments for Depression.

The Psychiatric clinics of North America·2026

See all related articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

For patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) unresponsive to initial treatment, lithium augmentation is a recommended first-line therapy. Further research is needed for other augmentation strategies, especially with newer antidepressants.

Area of Science:

Psychiatry
Pharmacology
Clinical Medicine

Background:

Many patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) do not respond adequately to monotherapy.
Treatment resistance in MDD necessitates exploring augmentation strategies.
Lithium and thyroid hormone augmentation have historical precedent.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the evidence for augmentation strategies in treatment-resistant depression.
To identify first-line augmentation therapies based on existing meta-analyses.
To highlight the need for further controlled trials on augmentation efficacy.

Main Methods:

Meta-analysis of double-blind studies comparing lithium or placebo augmentation.
Review of controlled trials investigating thyroid hormone (T3) augmentation.

Related Experiment Videos

Assessment of open-label trials and case reports for other augmentation strategies.

Main Results:

Lithium augmentation is concluded as first-line therapy for patients failing monotherapy.
One study found no significant difference between T3 and lithium augmentation after TCA nonresponse.
Few other augmentation strategies have consistent positive results in controlled trials.

Conclusions:

Lithium augmentation is a primary recommendation for treatment-resistant depression.
Evidence for other augmentation strategies is limited, requiring more rigorous investigation.
Future research should focus on placebo-controlled, double-blind studies, particularly with newer antidepressants.