COMPLIANCE AND QUALITY OF RESPONSE ARE MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS TO COST-EFFECTIVE ANTIDEPRESSANT THERAPY

Major depressive disorder is a common psychobiological disorder which is frequently recurrent with multiple life-time episodes. Effective medical treatments primarily with the tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) have been available for many years, however, compliance and relapse have continued to be a significant problem. With the advent of newer antidepressants, particularly the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), the issues of cost-effectiveness have come into focus. Analysis of controlled antidepressant trials comparing SSRIs with TCAs have consistently demonstrated the cost-effective advantage of the SSRIs over the TCAs, which is a direct reflection of the quality of response with better compliance, a more benign side effect profile and consistent advantage in clinical efficacy.