Search research 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

Related Concept Videos

Antidepressant Drugs: MAOIs and Other Agents

Antidepressant Drugs: MAOIs and Other Agents

Atypical antidepressants, including bupropion (Wellbutrin), mirtazapine (Remeron), nefazodone (Serzone), trazodone (Desyrel), and vilazodone (Viibryd), offer unique mechanisms of action. Bupropion weakly inhibits dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake, aiding depression treatment and smoking cessation, with a low risk of sexual dysfunction. Mirtazapine enhances serotonin and norepinephrine neurotransmission, leading to sedation, increased appetite, and weight gain. As a result, it helps treat...

Drug Therapy

Drug Therapy

The advent of drug therapy has profoundly shaped modern mental health care, providing targeted treatments for a range of psychological disorders. Psychotherapeutic drugs, classified into antianxiety, antidepressant, and antipsychotic medications, address symptoms across anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and schizophrenia. While these medications have transformed patient outcomes, they require careful management due to their potential side effects and limitations.
Antianxiety Medications

Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy

Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy

Antipsychotic drugs are a crucial treatment method for acute and chronic psychoses, bipolar illness, and behavioral disorders. The selection of these drugs depends on several factors, including the state of the disease, clinical judgment, possible drug interactions, and the patient's sensitivity to adverse effects. In immediate scenarios, such as delirium and dementia, short-term treatment with low doses of high-potency typical or atypical agents can effectively manage symptom exacerbation. For...

Antidepressant Drugs: Overview

Antidepressant Drugs: Overview

Antidepressant drugs are a class of medications primarily used for treating various mood disorders, including major depression, anxiety disorders, and other related conditions. These medicines work by modulating the neurotransmitter balance within the brain, alleviating depressive symptoms. Antidepressants can be broadly categorized into several groups according to their mechanism of action and chemical structure: Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), Serotonin-Norepinephrine...

Antidepressant Drugs: Tricyclics, SSRIs, and SNRIs

Antidepressant Drugs: Tricyclics, SSRIs, and SNRIs

Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs), including Desipramine (Norpramin), Imipramine (Tofranil), Clomipramine (Anafranil), and Amitriptyline (Elavil), inhibit serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake and also block other receptors. They are used for depression, pain conditions, and insomnia. Common adverse effects include anticholinergic effects, sedation, orthostatic hypotension, and weight gain. They have a narrow therapeutic window and so require plasma-level monitoring. Abrupt discontinuation can...

Electroconvulsive Therapy

Electroconvulsive Therapy

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), or shock therapy, remains a critical biomedical intervention for severe, treatment-resistant depression. While its origins can be traced back to Hippocrates' observations that malaria-induced convulsions alleviated mental illness, modern ECT has evolved significantly from its earlier, more primitive applications. First introduced in 1938 by Ugo Cerletti and his colleagues, ECT involves inducing controlled seizures using electrical currents. In its early years,...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Longitudinal characterization of inflammatory plasma protein signatures in ECT response.

Journal of affective disorders·2025

Same author

[The COVID-19 pandemic in Germany: mental health trajectories, resilient and vulnerable groups].

Der Nervenarzt·2025

Same author

A stratified treatment algorithm in psychiatry: a program on stratified pharmacogenomics in severe mental illness (Psych-STRATA): concept, objectives and methodologies of a multidisciplinary project funded by Horizon Europe.

European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience·2024

Same author

Loneliness during the Covid-19 pandemic in Germany: Impact of social factors and polygenic risk scores on interpersonal differences in loneliness and mental health.

The world journal of biological psychiatry : the official journal of the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry·2023

Same author

Epigenetic signatures in antidepressant treatment response: a methylome-wide association study in the EMC trial.

Translational psychiatry·2022

Same author

[Stopping antidepressants: withdrawal symptoms and rebound effects : Review and practical recommendations].

Der Nervenarzt·2022

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Vagus Nerve Stimulation As an Adjunctive Neurostimulation Tool in Treatment-resistant Depression

Vagus Nerve Stimulation As an Adjunctive Neurostimulation Tool in Treatment-resistant Depression

Published on: January 7, 2019

[Pharmacological therapy for therapy-resistant depression. New developments].

A Tadić¹, K Lieb

¹Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Johannes-Gutenberg-Universität, Untere Zahlbacher Strasse 8, 55131 , Mainz. tadic@psychiatrie.klinik.uni-mainz.de

|October 13, 2007

Summary

Achieving complete remission in major depressive disorder is crucial, as residual symptoms impair functioning. This review examines treatment-resistant depression (TRD) pharmacotherapy, highlighting current evidence and future directions for antidepressant drug development.

More Related Videos

MRI-guided dmPFC-rTMS as a Treatment for Treatment-resistant Major Depressive Disorder

MRI-guided dmPFC-rTMS as a Treatment for Treatment-resistant Major Depressive Disorder

Published on: August 11, 2015

Network Pharmacology and Validation of the Antidepressant Mechanisms of Qiangzhifang in a Chronic Restraint Stress-induced Depression Rat Model

Network Pharmacology and Validation of the Antidepressant Mechanisms of Qiangzhifang in a Chronic Restraint Stress-induced Depression Rat Model

Published on: June 6, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Vagus Nerve Stimulation As an Adjunctive Neurostimulation Tool in Treatment-resistant Depression

Vagus Nerve Stimulation As an Adjunctive Neurostimulation Tool in Treatment-resistant Depression

Published on: January 7, 2019

MRI-guided dmPFC-rTMS as a Treatment for Treatment-resistant Major Depressive Disorder

MRI-guided dmPFC-rTMS as a Treatment for Treatment-resistant Major Depressive Disorder

Published on: August 11, 2015

Network Pharmacology and Validation of the Antidepressant Mechanisms of Qiangzhifang in a Chronic Restraint Stress-induced Depression Rat Model

Network Pharmacology and Validation of the Antidepressant Mechanisms of Qiangzhifang in a Chronic Restraint Stress-induced Depression Rat Model

Published on: June 6, 2025

Area of Science:

Psychiatry
Pharmacology
Clinical Neuroscience

Context:

Major depressive disorder (MDD) treatment aims for complete symptom remission.
Residual symptoms in MDD are linked to reduced functioning and poorer outcomes.
A significant patient subset does not achieve remission, necessitating evaluation for treatment-resistant depression (TRD).

Purpose:

To review the current landscape of pharmacotherapy for treatment-resistant depression (TRD).
To assess existing evidence for TRD treatment strategies, including recent developments.
To provide an overview of TRD definitions, epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment optimization.

Summary:

Pharmacotherapy is central to managing TRD, though evidence from randomized controlled trials is limited.
Treatment decisions for TRD often rely on clinical experience and less robust study designs.
The article critically evaluates current and emerging antidepressant drug therapies for TRD.

Impact:

Informs clinical practice regarding the management of patients with treatment-resistant depression.
Highlights the need for further research and development in TRD pharmacotherapy.
Contributes to understanding the challenges and advancements in achieving remission for MDD patients.