There is no universal treatment guideline for MDD – various evidence-based treatment guidelines have been developed to aid clinicians.1 As shown on the slide, guidelines that have been developed are usually stratified according to the severity of depression – mild, moderate, or severe.
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) in the US, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the UK, and the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) have each developed clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of MDD.2-4 Pharmacological treatment recommendations from these treatment guidelines are discussed on the following slides. The British Association for Psychopharmacology (BAP), Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT), and Texas Medication Algorithm Project (TMAP) have also published treatment guidelines.1 The major American and European guidelines for the treatment of depression provide similar basic principles of treatment, which include planning treatment on an individual basis, preparing the patient for potential long-term treatment, providing measurement-based care, and treating to remission.1
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