Major depression: Staying on antidepressants reduces relapse
Randomised trial findings underscore the value of maintenance therapy, say psychiatrists
12th December 2019
By Clare Pain
Patients with chronic or recurrent major depressive disorder who have recovered while taking antidepressants would do best to stay on their medications, results of a clinical trial suggest.
Rates of recurrence over three years of follow-up were 48.5% in people who maintained antidepressant therapy, compared with 75.8% in those who were tapered off their medication, the US authors report in JAMA Psychiatry.
Participants had all taken part in an earlier phase of the trial and had recovered from chronic or recurrent major depressive disorder (MDD)