[Antidepressants: TCA versus SSRI versus other new agents]

The medications that appeared in the last two decades, offer praticians a wider choice than ever in the treatment of major depressive disorders. The aim of this article was first to compare tricyclic antidepressants and serotonine selective reuptake inhibitors. It was quite obvious that it was impossible to take no account of the birth of newer antidepressants. So we reviewed the efficacy--throughout their mechanims of action--of those different antidepressive agents, as well as their side-effects. One could think that the coming-out of molecules simpler to use, would facilitate the prescription. In fact, it does and it doesn't; it allows praticians, more than before, to accord with their clinical touch. That means that, at comparable efficacy, we now can choose therapeutic agents that fit more adequately a particular patient, his/her characteristics as well as his/her somatic and psychiatric history.