The recurrence rate of depression is high, reaching 50%-80%, and about half of patients relapse within 2 years of onset (really dangerous). In order to improve the final outcome of patients with depression, at present, our psychiatrists advocate full-course treatment (not lifelong treatment! ), in which reasonable drug treatment is the basis of the whole course.

The whole treatment process is usually divided into acute treatment, consolidation treatment and maintenance treatment (such as anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and other diseases, it is divided into these stages).

(1) Acute treatment: Acute treatment usually takes 8- 12 weeks (doctors often say 2-3 months). The purpose of our current treatment is to alleviate the symptoms of patients as much as possible and improve the quality of life of patients.

(2) Consolidation period treatment: The duration of consolidation period treatment varies from person to person, usually 4-9 months. At this stage, the patient's condition is prone to fluctuations. In principle, to continue to use drugs that are effective in acute phase, it is necessary to communicate with patients and try to maintain the previous treatment plan, and the dosage and use method of drugs should not be adjusted.

(3) Maintenance treatment: There are different opinions on the length of maintenance treatment for patients with depression, but most experts tend to be at least 2-3 years, and clearly point out that patients with recurrent (more than 3 times) and poor treatment effect (patients still have some depressive symptoms after treatment) need long-term treatment. During the maintenance period, the drug dosage can be gradually reduced to observe whether there are signs of recurrence. Once signs of early recurrence are found, the original treatment plan should be quickly restored under the guidance of a doctor.

After understanding the above viewpoints, patients may have an answer to the question of how long they need to take medicine for depression patients. To sum up, it is generally said that the initial dose can cure the disease for at least half a year. After half a year, the treatment can be gradually reduced and maintained for 2-3 years.