The Evidence-Based Guide to Antidepressant Medications

The second book in the Evidence-Based Guides series, The Evidence-Based Guide to Antidepressant Medications, provides a clear reference to the current knowledge and evidence base for the use of antidepressants among a variety of patients across a wide range of disorders. Today, in part due to the newer antidepressants, which have fewer side effects and less toxicity in overdose, many non mental health professionals feel comfortable prescribing antidepressants. Antidepressants are prescribed for many patients in addition to those who have major depressive disorder, including patients with bipolar disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, and personality disorders, as well as those with medical illnesses. In addition, antidepressants are increasingly being prescribed by clinicians for so-called off-label use to treat illnesses for which the medications do not have U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval making it more important than ever for practicing clinicians to understand the use of antidepressants among several special populations, including children and adolescents, the geriatric patient, and pregnant and lactating women. Chapters within this guide are authored by experts in their respective areas of practice. Together, they have synthesized a large amount of medical literature into a comprehensive, yet understandable, concise, reader-friendly guide that features useful tables pertaining to the efficacy of specific medications and summaries of important clinical pearls of wisdom that are summarized at the end of each chapter into Key Clinical Concepts. This text is a must-have reference for psychiatrists and other practicing clinicians, residents-in-training, psychiatric nurses, social workers, and researchers.