Mood Disorders@@@Psychopharmacology

038 - Faded Love: A Critical Look at the Strengths and Weaknesses of Antidepressants for the Treatment of Major Depression

Presenter(s)

• 

  Charles Raison, MD

  Mary Sue and Mike Shannon Chair for Healthy Minds, Children & Families; Professor, Human Development and Family Studies, School of Human Ecology; Professor, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin- Madison, Director of Clinical and Translational Research, Usona Institute,
  University of Wisconsin-Madison
  Madison, Wisconsin

Everyone who attends this session has spent his or her professional life in the age of standard antidepressants. Initially seen as miracle drugs, the passing years have—and many subsequent studies—revealed not just their strengths, but their many weaknesses. This session will synthesize all that is known about these agents regarding several key issues, including: 1) how well they work; 2) optimal strategies following an initial antidepressant failure; and 3) the benefits and dangers of chronic antidepressant use. Clinicians attending this session will leave with a clear grasp of how to best use antidepressant agents while being wary of their pitfalls.