Pharmacotherapy of depression: the American current status

This paper is a brief review which deals with research findings, clinical issues, and strategies in the pharmacotherapy of clinical depression. The author introduces antidepressants which are currently available in the United States. They include heterocyclic antidepressants (tricyclic antidepressants and second-generation antidepressants), monoamine oxidase inhibitors, lithium, carbamazepine, and others. Under the description of each drug category, therapeutic and side effects are briefly discussed in the context of psychiatric practice in America. Then, the author gives a birds eye view of American pharmacotherapy of using antidepressants in acute, maintenance, and prophylactic treatments of depression.