Determining the Need for Antidepressant Medications

Critical Factors for Prescribing Antidepressant Therapy
Antidepressant medication has proven to be an effective treatment in many situations. In order to identify patients who may benefit from antidepressant therapy, consider the following areas:

•  diagnostic signs and symptoms of depression
•  clinical assessment of level of distress
•  impact on work, school, relationships
•  impact on healthcare
•  results of standardized screening tools
•  failure to respond to initial supportive measures