European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

NEW THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES IN THE TREATMENT OF DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS“ – REVIEW ARTICLE

Armin Bijedic* MD and Svjetlana Loga-Zec MD PhD

ABSTRACT

Depression, as a complex multifactorial disease, represents a major public health and functional mental health disorder, especially in the 21st century, affecting the individual as a whole in numerous ways. Depression can cloud our view of the world and make us see every problem bigger than it really is. The beginnings of depression show signs in middle to late adolescence, which can have fatal outcomes in such a still vulnerable age of an incompletely formed individual. Treatment of depression requires therapy with antidepressant drugs, the effect of which requires up to 6 weeks, sometimes combinations of drugs are needed, and side effects of therapy are common, such as loss of libido, headaches, sexual dysfunction, gastrointestinal complaints, anxiety and restlessness. Antidepressants achieve their effect in a third to half of treated cases, also there are cases of treatment-resistant depression (TRD) where patients do not respond to two cycles of different antidepressants. We intend to show and describe most recent pharmacological modalities such as antagonists of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDAR), GABA modulators (GASPAMA) with also the use of psychedelics in improving clinical outcomes. We are also showcasing new technological measures dependent on devices as non-pharmacological options for treatment of depression, such as deep brain stimulation (DBS), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and many others. Treatment of depression has almost always been presented as a taboo subject. By reviewing established treatment methods and modern treatment methods, we strive to push the boundaries in the efficiency and effectiveness of therapy for depressive disorders.

Keywords: N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDAR), GABA modulators (GASPAMA), deep brain stimulation (DBS), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).