A Survey of Psychiatrists' Practices Related to the Use of Tricydic Antidepressants

Four groups of psycbiatrists were surveyed about their clinical practices in relation to the use of tricyclic antidepressants to determine if there is any unanimity about procedures. The four groups were U.S. experts in the pharmacotherapy of depression, faculty who taught the pharmacotherapy of depression in accredited departments of psychiatry, general psychiatrists in Virginia who treated depressions with drugs, and non-U.S. experts. The authors report on practices related to dosage buildup, side effects, concurrent medical conditions, blood level information, and maintenance on tricyclics. They f ound moderate to high consensus on most issues; exceptions were treatment of a patient with chronic hypertension and maintenance dosage and duration.