Pharmacological management of treatment-resistant depression

The management of patients with depression who have failed to respond to antidepressant medication is a common problem in general and old age psychiatry. It has been estimated that about 20–30% of patients with major depression fail to respond to treatment with a single antidepressant drug given in adequate dosage for an appropriate period of time. At the current time there are many possible ways to pursue pharmacological treatment, but few controlled trials to help us choose between the various options. In addition there are few clinical predictors to help match patients to an appropriate treatment.