Psychobiology and psychopharmacotherapy of unipolar major depression: a review

Psychopharmacology has continually informed the biological perspective of major depression. Antidepressants affect a variety of neurotransmitters by a wide range of pharmacological actions. The complexity of these neurotransmitter receptor interactions likely underlies the discrepancies observed in biochemical and physiological responses among apparently clinically homogenous depressive subgroups. This report provides an integrated review of the neuroendocrine and neurochemical perspectives of unipolar depression and how these advances influence the psychopharmacotherapy of unipolar major depression.