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One in five people will experience major depressive disorder (MDD) at some point in their lives. Although depression is common, traditional selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Prozac (fluoxetine) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) help about 40–60% of people within six to eight weeks.For those who don’t respond to the first treatment, however, the likelihood that a new antidepressant will help tends to go down the more therapies a patient tries.
The situation can heighten negative emotions in depressed patients. For example, about three out of ten patients with treatment-resistant depression experience feelings of frustration, hopelessness and anxiety, according to a study in BMC Psychiatry.
The antidepressant landscape, however, is diversifying. In the second half of 2022, two notable medications won FDA approval for …