Consensus statements on the clinical understanding and use of bupropion in Hong Kong.

Objectives: To develop a local consensus to guide medical practitioners and psychiatrists on the use of bupropion in different psychiatric conditions in Hong Kong.

Methods: By utilizing the modified Delphi technique, a group of 10 local physicians with extensive experience in the management of major depressive disorder (MDD) developed and voted (using an anonymous, electronic voting system) on the practicality of recommendation of a set of consensus statements on the clinical use and understanding of bupropion in Hong Kong.

Results: There was a very high degree of agreement among the panelists on the 11 finalized consensus statements.

Consensus statements on the clinical understanding and use of milnacipran in Hong Kong.

Objective: Our aim is to develop a local consensus to guide medical practitioners and psychiatrists on the use of milnacipran in different psychiatric conditions.

Methods: By utilizing the modified Delphi technique, 12 statements were electronically voted on anonymously for their practicability of recommendation.

Results: There was a very high degree of agreement among the consensus group on 10 finalized consensus statements, but 2 statements were voted down due to a poor degree of agreement.

Noncontinuous use of antidepressant in adults with major depressive disorders - a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Noncontinuous antidepressant use is frequently observed in clinical practice despite the standard recommendation of at least 6-9 months of continuous treatment. The problem may be more serious in Chinese populations where stigmatization is common. This retrospective cohort study investigated the rate of noncontinuous antidepressant use and subsequent rate of relapse and recurrence in psychiatric Chinese outpatients by examining the prescription records, electronic medical records, and written medical records.