A new study was just released. It concluded that most who are treated with antidepressants are left with residual symptoms! According to this research which examined 2,876 respondants who were taking antidepressants for depression, 75% reported at least 5 or more symptoms of depression. Unfortunately this is not news to us who treat depression. In fact one of the most common question I get as a prescriber is why hasn’t the depression completely gone away.

This study does not address why depression lingers with antidepressant treatment, but it does give us information on the most common residual symptoms. Researches in this study found that 71 percent of individuals reported sadness, 70 percent reported concentration problems and diminished decision making skills, and 79 percent reported trouble with their sleep. However, suicidal thinking was rarely reported in this sample of individuals.

If you are experiencing residual symptoms with your antidepressant you are not alone! However, I don’t think we should be satisfied with residual symptoms. Maintaining focus on remission is important for both clinicians and patients. Many treatments can be added to target residual symptoms. Many of these options are highlighted on both our Sacramento TMS website and Mindful Health Solutions website.

Reference:

McClintock SM, Husain MM, Wisniewski SR, et al. Residual symptoms in depressed outpatients who respond by 50% but do not remit to antidepressant medication. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology 31;180-186, 2011