Looking Ahead

In general, how does a psychiatrist or other physician decide which medication(s) to prescribe for depression?

Not everyone with depression or bipolar disorder responds to the same antidepressant or mood stabilizer. One size does not fit all. Because we currently lack tests to tell which antidepressant is most likely to be most effective for each person, clinicians have tended to choose their first antidepressant on the basis of which ones have fewer side effects. Most individuals with depression are treated with antidepressant medications known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. One of the goals of the Depression Center is to develop laboratory tests to aid doctors in personalizing treatment, helping them select the specific treatments that are most likely to work for “my” depression.