Antidepressants are drugs used for the treatment of major depressive disorder and other conditions, including dysthymia, anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, eating disorders, chronic pain, neuropathic pain and, in some cases, dysmenorrhoea, snoring, migraine, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, addiction, dependence, and sleep disorders. They can be used alone or in combination with other medications but only when prescribed. The most important classes of antidepressants are the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, reversible monoamine oxidase A inhibitors, tetracyclic antidepressants, and noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressant. American Psychiatric Association treatment guidelines recommend that initial treatment should be individually tailored based on factors that include severity of symptoms, co-existing disorders, prior treatment experience, and patient preference. Options may include pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) or light therapy. Antidepressant medication is recommended as an initial treatment choice in people with mild, moderate, or severe major depression, and should be given to all patients with severe depression unless ECT is planned.

In the present book, fifteen typical literatures about antidepressant therapy published on international authoritative journals were selected to introduce the worldwide newest progress, which contains reviews or original researches on medical science, psychiatry, psychology, sociology, ect. We hope this book can demonstrate advances in antidepressant therapy as well as give references to the researchers, students and other related people.