History of Treatments
Before electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was invented in the 1930s, it was frequently observed that patients experiencing delusions with depression had poorer response to medication treatment. ECT seemed to have similar effects for depressed patients both with and without psychotic symptoms. The interest in psychotic depression increased after tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) became available, because while NPMD responded to TCAs, PMD did not. In the past 40 years there has been a renewed interest in PMD. The FDA is considering a special class of drugs for the treatment of PMD as researchers learn more about the biology of the disease.
Many studies have suggested that PMD differs from MDD in treatment response. PMD is less likely than MDD to respond to placebo and to the use of only an antidepressant or an antipsychotic. The combination of an antidepressant and an antipsychotic appears to be necessary for the treatment of PMD. Early studies suggest an 80-90% response rate in PMD with combination treatment.
Read more about this topic: Psychotic Depression
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