Discontinuation of maintenance selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor monotherapy after 5 years of stable response: a naturalistic study.

Objective: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are effective treatments of major depressive disorder (MDD), but data to guide the duration of maintenance therapy in community settings are limited. We assessed whether extending maintenance beyond 5 years provided additional benefit and identified other predictors of outcome.

Method: All patients treated at an urban community outpatient clinic between June 1993 and September 2005 were considered for inclusion in this study.

Perinatal depression: hiding in plain sight.

Objective: To promote prompt identification and treatment ofperinatal depression and enhance preventive care for women at risk.

Methods: Using MEDLINE and PubMed searches, we reviewed the recent research on the origins, course, and consequences of pregnancy-related depression.

Results: Depressive disorders are more common in pregnancy and postpartum than widely assumed, and there is no predictable protective effect of pregnancy.