Advice about which antidepressant to choose first

Relative risk of side effects may help influence treatment decisions.

Major depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in the United States, affecting more than 16% of adults at some point in their lives. Several antidepressants and other types of drugs are available to treat depression. The conventional wisdom, based on the large Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) study and smaller studies, is that all antidepressants are about equal in terms of efficacy.

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