Diagnostic Indications and Contraindications

Antidepressant and Antimanic Medications: Diagnostic Indications and Contraindications

The terms antidepressant and antimanic imply selectivity and specificity to depression and mania, respectively. It is increasingly clear, however, that this is not the case. Not only are these medications effective in the short-term treatment of milder mood disorders such as dysthymia, but they are frequently effective in the treatment of other mental disorders such as generalized anxiety, panic disorder, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), bulimia and anorexia nervosa, posttraumatic stress disorder, and possibly alcohol abuse.

Experiments in laboratory animals have shown that antidepressant drugs primarily affect the core brain systems involved in modulating stress responses , and the disorders for which antidepressant drugs have been established to have efficacy are all conditions that can be exacerbated by stress (Chrousos and Gold 1992). These observations suggest that antidepressant drugs may simply restore function without altering the pathological state, an effect that can be seen as analogous to the nonspecific anti-inflammatory effects of corticosteroids in the treatment of various medical conditions.

Antidepressant and Antimanic Medications Introduction Diagnostic Indications and Contraindications

• Indications for Use of Antidepressant and Antimanic Medications
• Contraindications to Use of Antidepressant and Antimanic Medications
• General Treatment Guidelines Antidepressant Medications: Pharmacological Properties and Evidence for Acute-Phase Efficacy