A more complete and precise definition of treatment-resistant depression (TRD) has been proposed by researchers from all around the world.
The researchers also urged for more research on how the condition might be better detected and treated in a new article published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry and hopes to encourage more individuals to talk about depression.
Major depression is a prominent cause of disability globally, and it is a mood illness that causes chronic, persistent feelings of melancholy and a lack of interest in their daily lives. However, as many as 30% of individuals with the disorder do not respond to the drugs that are routinely provided to treat it.
There are several reasons why some people benefit from conventional depression therapies while others do not. Because we all have unique bodies, brains, and experiences, no two people will react the same way to the many depression treatments.
Another factor has less to do with the people who suffer from depression and more to do with how the diagnosis is discussed and understood, such as the criteria for defining and treating the disorder.
"There's a big problem of patients who are not responding to currently available medication," Carmine Pariante a professor at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience of King's College London and lead author of the recent study, told Verywell.
"Around one out of two-so only 50%-of patients respond to the first antidepressant that is prescribed, and maybe two out of three respond to the second or third antidepressant [that is tried]."
According to Pariante, there is still "a core 25% of patients who don't respond to available medication, there's really a need to develop medication for this target population," and such research should ideally take the form of a trial in which multiple medications are tested at the same time in a collaborative manner until they work.
On numerous levels, having a proper definition for TRD that can be widely used and understood is critical. For starters, it is important to the scientists who are conducting clinical studies for new medications and other potential TRD treatments.
A comprehensive definition of TRD also assists clinicians who work with patients who may have the illness by providing a framework for diagnosing the condition-an important first step in ensuring that people receive treatment.
With a precise definition of TRD in hand, the next step is to standardize and innovate on how providers may diagnose it. Experts advocate for a more holistic and data-driven strategy to search for biomarkers for depression (which incorporates biological information such as blood tests and brain scans).
