[Clinical evaluation of new antidepressive agents]

The second generation of antidepressants have been developed with the goal to reduce cardio-toxic effects and to further a more specific action on neurotransmitter systems. However some standardized actual parameters, clinical, biological and pharmacological may be accepted as reasonable elements in evaluating the therapeutic effects. Among them we will distinguish the diagnostic instruments which define categories of affective disorders; rating scales to assess gravity, the type of clinical test, duration of the test and finally those biological variables which should be an integral part of the evaluation of new antidepressants.