The Individual and Societal Burden of Treatment-Resistant Depression: An Overview

Major depressive disorder is characterized by depressed mood and/or anhedonia with neurovegetative symptoms and neurocognitive changes affecting an individual's functioning in multiple aspects of life. Treatment outcomes with commonly used antidepressants remain suboptimal. Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) should be considered after inadequate improvement with two or more antidepressant treatments of adequate dose and duration. TRD has been associated with increased disease burden including higher associated costs (both socially and financially) affecting both the individual and society. Additional research is needed to better understand the long-term burden of TRD to both the individual and society.