Overview of treatment-resistant depression.
Progress in Brain Research 2023 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2023.03.007 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Depression Ketamine |
| Keywords | Difficult-to-treat depression Maudsley staging method Neurostimulation Outcomes Prevalence Psychedelics Staging methods Trd definition Treatment-refractory depression |
| Citations | 25 |
| Key findings | A lack of consensus on the definition of treatment-resistant depression limits comparison of treatment efficacy across trials and results in scarce treatment guidelines specifically for TRD. |
Abstract
Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) often exhibit an inadequate treatment response or failure to achieve remission following treatment with antidepressant drugs. Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is proposed to identify this clinical scenario. Compared to those without TRD, patients with TRD have significantly lower health-related quality of life in mental and physical dimensions, more functional impairment and productivity loss, and higher healthcare costs. TRD imposes a massive burden on the individual, family, and society. However, a lack of consensus on the TRD definition limits the comparison and interpretation of TRD treatment efficacy across trials. Furthermore, because of the various TRD definitions, there is scarce treatment guideline specifically for TRD, in contrast to the rich treatment guidelines for MDD. In this chapter, common issues related to TRD, such as proper definitions of an adequate antidepressant trial and TRD, were carefully reviewed. Prevalence of and clinical outcomes related to TRD were summarized. We also summarized the staging models ever proposed for the diagnosis of TRD. Furthermore, we highlighted variations in the definition regarding the lack of or an inadequate response in treatment guidelines for depression. Up-to-date treatment options for TRD, including pharmacological strategies, psychotherapeutic interventions, neurostimulation techniques, glutamatergic compounds, and even experimental agents were reviewed.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on ketamine for depression, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Synthesizing the Evidence for Ketamine and Esketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression: An International Expert Opinion on the Available Evidence and Implementation Adults with treatment-resistant depression | 2021 | Review | |
| Ketamine: a paradigm shift for depression research and treatment | 2019 | Review | |
| Rapid‐acting antidepressant ketamine, its metabolites and other candidates: A historical overview and future perspective | 2019 | Review | |
| Ketamine: A tale of two enantiomers | 2020 | Review | |
| Molecular mechanisms underlying the antidepressant actions of arketamine: beyond the NMDA receptor | 2021 | Review |