Session II: PHARMACOTHERAPY OF MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER: A PRACTICAL GUIDE

Wednesday, March 30, 2022 – 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm ET
Format: Virtual Event

Dr. Zena Samaan

Major depressive disorder is a frequent challenge in clinical practice with many patients report inadequate response to treatment. The most used medications, SSRIs, are not always suitable as a first line, about a third do not respond. When an SSRI might show an effect, when to change or increase dose and how long treatment should continue are additional practice challenges. Switching from one medication to another poses a concern for patients as many worries about the gap between tapering off one medication and starting another. Treatment resistant depression is also common with inconsistent recommendations and concerns regarding polypharmacy and drug-drug interactions. Therefore, a practical approach, evidence informed and including patients’ shared decision making in selecting pharmacotherapy is needed.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to

1. Define treatment resistant depression (TRD)
2. Identify differential diagnoses and consider comorbid conditions
3. Rationalize evidence-based pharmacotherapy for TRD

Speaker

Dr. Zena Samaan, MBChB, MSc, PhD, MRCPsych (UK), is a Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Clinician Investigator Program, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University. A physician researcher, her clinical and research emphasis is on mood disorders and addiction comorbidities