Guideline recommendations for long-term treatment of depression with antidepressants in primary care—a critical review

Figures & data

Table I. Guideline recommendations for long-term treatment with antidepressant of depression in primary care.

Guideline panel	Publication	Country	Duration continuation treatment^a	Duration maintenance treatment^b	Indications maintenance treatment
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychiatrie, Psychotherapie und Nervenheilkunde (DGPPN)	2009	Germany	4 to 9 months	2 years, maybe longer	I, II
Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI)	2009	United States	6 to 12 months	3 years to lifelong	I, II, V,VI, VII, consider for IV
British Association for Psychopharmacology	2008	Great Britain	6 months	≥5 years, indefnitely?	I, II, III, IV
Heyrman J, et al. (CEBAM)	2008	Belgium	6 months	≤year	I, III
New Zealand Guidelines Group	2008	New Zealand	6 months	2 years	I
National Institute for Clinical Excellence	2007	Great Britain	6 months	Minimum 1 to 2 years	I, II, III
World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP)	2007	Diverse	6 to 9 months	Standard 3 years	I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII
Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire des Produits de Santé (AFSSAPS)	2005/2006	France	4 to 12 months	Not mentioned	(Discuss in case of) I, II, IV, VII
Helsedirektoratet	2005	Norway	6 months	Not mentioned	Discuss with patient in I, III
Landelijke stuurgroep richtlijnontwikkeling in de GGZ	2005	Netherlands	6 months	At least 1 year, consider 3 to 5 years	I
Camden and Islington	2003	Great Britain	4 to 6 months	≥5 years, indefnitely?	I
Nederlands Huisartsen Genootschap (NHG)	2003	Netherlands	6 to 9 months	1 to 5 years, incidentally longer	I, II
CAnadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT)	2001	Canada	6 months	Minimum 2 years	I, II, V

^aIn months from time of remission.

^bIn years from end of continuation treatment.

I, recurrent depression; II, episode characteristics (long/severe/chronic); III, residual symptoms/stressors or lack of support; IV, concurrent other DSM-IV axis I or II disorder; V, age <30 or >60–65; VI, rapid relapse or recurrence in the past; VII, family history of major depressive disorder.

Figure 1. Flow diagram. Source: Moher et al. (31). For more information, visit http://www.prisma-statement.org

Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, Altman DG, The PRISMA Group. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement. PLoS Med- 2009;6:e1000097. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed1000097.

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