Allowing for the many limitations, we can generalize from available data to make the following recommendations:
1. All patients with acute major depression should be considered reasonable candidates for pharmacotherapy.
2. There is adequate evidence to make the same recommendation for other forms of depression. This is particularly true for dysthymia, and may be true for other minor forms of depression as well.
3. There is good evidence for the use of antidepressants for non-mood disorders as well, particularly the anxiety disorders.
4. There remains no strong evidence from choosing one medication over another, and treatment recommendations should be made on the basis of tolerability and, if appropriate, cost.
5. Extended treatment should be recommended both for patients with chronic depression and recurrent depression.
6. Maintenance treatment should consist of the same dose of antidepressant as used to achieve acute phase remission.
7. The exact length of maintenance treatment is not known. The decision for indefinite treatment should be a risks-benefit decision, made with the informed consent of the patient, who is entitled to be informed of the limitations in our knowledge.