Which antidepressant?

The prescription of psychotropic drugs, and particularly the use of antidepressants, has received considerable attention in the medical literature, the media and from legislative bodies in recent years. Medical practitioners are faced with a bewildering array of apparently efficacious drugs from which they must choose when prescribing for a depressed patient. This paper discusses the main parameters which guide this choice, namely clinical efficacy, adverse effects profile, safety in overdose and monetary cost. It concludes by making some recommendations for the prescription of antidepressant drugs.