COMPARISON OF EST AND ANTIDEPRESSANT DRUGS IN AFFECTIVE DISORDERS

Because of limited temporal factors, it is difficult at present to compare the incidence of "long-term" remissions (2 years or more) in patients treated by EST and those treated with antidepressant drugs. In "psychotic" depressions, treatment relapses, as defined, are certainly not more frequent in drug-treated patients than in the EST group. In "neurotic" depressions, results, with respect to relapses, are definitely more favorable following drug therapy. Premature discontinuation of the drug will lead to a greater incidence of relapses. As a corollary to this, patients treated with drug therapy require more continued follow-up care than those treated by EST. Contrary to our earlier hopes, it is evident that drugs will not affect the recurrent pattern of affective disorders–no more than EST has done. The pattern of repetition of attacks varies greatly from one patient to another.