Treating major depression: antidepressant algorithms.

Clinicians currently have a large number of pharmaceutical options available for the treatment of depression, yet not one of these treatments is associated with especially high remission rates. Further complicating the treatment of depression is the fact that the more failed treatment trials a patient undergoes, the lower the odds that remission will be achieved. Therefore, choosing the drug that will be most effective for a particular patient early in the treatment process is essential. Antidepressant treatment algorithms are helpful in this regard. Copyright 2009 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.