Recommendations for treatmenf of unipolar depressive disorder

Abstract

Depression is a common mental disorder with a high burden of disease worldwide and requires effective treatment. On behalf of the General Advisory Council for Psychiatry, clinical recommendations were formed to help clinicians make decisions to improve the treatment of patients with unipolar depressive disorder; several international guidelines served as the basis for developing these recommendations. In terms of therapeutic approaches, pharmacological treatment is discussed with additional recommendations on the management of a partial response to treatment and treatment resistance. Psychotherapy, psychoeducation, and other psychosocial approaches represent non-pharmacological interventions for the treatment of depressive disorder. Biological methods for treating depression include non-invasive brain stimulation methods. The second part of the recommendations addresses special populations: children and adolescents, the elderly, and the treatment of depression in the perinatal period.

Keywords

• major depressive disorder
• clinical practice guidelines
• pharmacotherapy
• psychotherapy
• biological methods