Difficult to Treat Depression: Focus on Approach, Algorithms, and Access

Abstract

The pandemic refocused interest on the burden of depression across the lifespan; the increased efforts to prevent and treat depression are now a priority of health care systems, insurers, patient advocates, digital therapeutic engineers, telemedicine platforms, and community health agencies. However, the challenges of treating depression to remission in adult patients who do not respond to first, second, or third levels of oral pharmacotherapy remain. The increased prevalence of these conditions is at odds with the shrinking psychiatric workforce. Since addressing difficult to treat depression is situated in a rapidly evolving treatment landscape, The University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson Department of Psychiatry organized and hosted the Southwest Forum on Difficult to Treat Depression: Focus on Approach, Algorithms, and Access in July 2024. The Forum convened 11 internationally renowned experts in the science and treatment of depression, in particular difficult to treat depression, for a day of teaching and discussion. Based on their expertise, participants were asked to address one of the following three themes: (1) Novel Mechanism Approaches for Difficult to Treat Depression, (2) What Do I Do Next? Evidence-Informed Algorithms to Get Patients Better Faster, and (3) Access: Providing Comprehensive Depression Care Across the Spectrum of Clinical Severity.