Definition and Identification of Patients with Treatment-Resistant Depression in Real-World Clinical Practice Settings Across Asia

Abstract

Purpose: An Asia-Pacific expert consensus defined treatment-resistant depression (TRD) as failure of ≥2 antidepressants given at adequate doses for 6-8 weeks during a major depressive episode. A survey examined how TRD was being diagnosed in real-world practices across Asia. An expert panel then interpreted the results and provided practical recommendations. Methods: Between March and July 2018, 246 clinicians from Hong Kong, Japan, Mainland China, South Korea, and Taiwan were surveyed on how they identified TRD patients according to their own definitions. Results: Most physicians described antidepressant failure as "no response" (79%) or "inadequate response" (82%); fewer chose "failure to ..