Newer Treatments for Mood and Anxiety Disorders.
The Medical clinics of North America – September 01, 2024
Source: PubMed
Summary
Antidepressants like serotonin reuptake inhibitors have dominated treatment for depression and anxiety for over two decades. While newer medications with innovative mechanisms are available, first-line treatments remain unchanged. Recent data, encompassing thousands of patients, highlight the effectiveness of various augmentation agents in managing major depressive disorder, offering improved guidance for primary care providers. However, evidence supporting psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy is still insufficient to warrant widespread adoption for mood and anxiety disorders, emphasizing the need for continued evaluation of these novel treatments.
Abstract
For more than 20 years, the mainstay of pharmacologic treatment for depression and anxiety disorders has been serotonin reuptake inhibitors and selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. There are newer medications, many with novel mechanisms of action, that have come to market; however, first-line treatments remain the same. There are now more robust data on the use of various augmentation agents in the treatment of major depressive disorder providing better recommendations for use by the primary care provider. Data to support the use of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy in the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders are not robust enough to recommend generalized use at this time.