Definition
Antidepressants are a class of medications that are used primarily in the treatment of clinically severe mood and anxiety disorders. The majority of effective antidepressants currently in use enhance neurotransmission of serotonin and/or norepinephrine. Generally, this is achieved by blocking the reuptake of the neurotransmitter substance(s), inhibiting the enzymes responsible for its metabolism, or directly stimulating the postsynaptic receptors (Iversen et al. 2009). Several antidepressants are also used in treating generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (Bourin and Lambert 2002). Other conditions for which antidepressants have demonstrated efficacy include eating disorders (Powers and Bruty 2009), neuropathic pain (O’Connor and Dworkin 2009), stress incontinence, nocturnal enuresis, ejaculatory disorders (Michel et al. 2006), migraine headaches, fibromyalgia (Stone et al. 2003), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (Chung et...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References and Readings
Bourin, M., & Lambert, O. (2002). Pharmacotherapy of anxious disorders. Human Psychopharmacol clin Exp, 17, 383–400.
Chung, B., Suzuki, A. R., & McGough, J. J. (2002). New drugs for treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Expert Opinion Emerging Drugs, 7, 269–276.
Dale, E., Bang-Andersen, B., & Sánchez, C. (2015). Emerging mechanisms and treatments for depression beyond SSRIs and SNRIs. Biochemical pharmacology, 95(2), 81–97.
Fournier, J. C., DeRubeis, R. J., Hollon, S. D., Dimidjian, S., Amsterdam, J. D., Shelton, R. C., & Fawcett, J. (2010). Antidepressant drug effects and depression severity: A patient-level meta-analysis. JAMA, 303, 47–53.
Gibbons, R. D., Brown, C. H., Hur, K., Davis, J. M., & Mann, J. J. (2012). Suicidal thoughts and behavior with antidepressant treatment: Reanalysis of the randomized placebo-controlled studies of fluoxetine and venlafaxine. Archives of General Psychiatry, 69(6), 580–587.
Grant, J. E., & Grosz, R. (2004). Pharmacotherapy outcome in older pathological gamblers: A preliminary investigation. Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology, 17, 9–12.
Horstmann, S., & Binder, E. B. (2009). Pharmacogenomics of antidepressant drugs. Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 124, 57–73.
Isacsson, G., & Rich, C. L. (2014). Antidepressant drugs and the risk of suicide in children and adolescents. Pediatric Drugs, 16(2), 115–122.
Iversen, L. L., Iversen, S. D., Bloom, F. E., & Roth, R. H. (2009). Antidepressants and anxiolytics. Introduction to neuropsychopharmacology (pp. 306–335). New York: Oxford University Press.
Kirsch, I., Deacon, B. J., Huedo-Medina, T. B., Scoboria, A., Moore, T. J., & Johnson, B. T. (2008). Initial severity and antidepressant benefits: A meta-analysis of data submitted to the food and drug administration. PlOS Medicine, 5, e45.
Michel, M. C., Ruhe, H. G., de Groot, A. A., Castro, R., & Oelke, M. (2006). Tolerability of amine uptake inhibitors in urologic diseases. Current Drug Safety, 1, 73–85.
O’Connor, A. B., & Dworkin, R. H. (2009). Treatment of neuropathic pain: An overview of recent guidelines. Am Journal of Medicine, 122, S22–S32.
Powers, P. S., & Bruty, H. (2009). Pharmacotherapy for eating disorders and obesity. Child Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 18, 175–187.
Rihmer, Z., & Akiskal, H. (2006). Do antidepressants t(h)reat(en) depressives? Toward a clinical judicious formulation of the antidepressant-suicidality FDA advisory in light of declining national suicide statistics from many countries. Journal of Affective Disorders, 94, 3–13.
Skolnick, P., Popik, P., & Trullas, R. (2009). Glutamate-based antidepressants: 20 years on. Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, 30, 563–569.
Stone, K. J., Viera, A. J., & Parman, C. L. (2003). Off-label applications for SSRIs. American Family Physician, 68, 498–504.
Strawn, J. R., Welge, J. A., Wehry, A. M., Keeshin, B., & Rynn, M. A. (2015). Efficacy and tolerability of antidepressants in pediatric anxiety disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Depression and Anxiety, 32(3), 149–157.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2007). FDA proposes new warnings about suicidal thinking, behaviour in young adults who take antidepressant medications. Retrieved from: http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/2007/ucm108905.htm
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Matyi, J., Tschanz, J. (2017). Antidepressants. In: Kreutzer, J., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56782-2_1771-3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56782-2_1771-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-56782-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-56782-2
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences