A major problem for the practitioner is the lack of satisfactory
guidelines as to how long continuation drug treatment of depressive
episodes must be maintained to ensure that the episode is over. This often
leads to either premature withdrawal of the drug and subsequent relapse or
unnecessarily prolonged treatment. Results from a collaborative project of
the National Institute of Mental Health provide the first study-derived
guidelines on the length of continuation therapy. Findings indicate that
withdrawal of such therapy is safe only after the patient has been free of
significant symptoms for 16 to 20 weeks and that focusing on mild as well
as severe symptoms is critical in this decision.
Abstract Teaser