Treatment of Intractable Depression

Abstract
Depression is a frequently encountered psychiatric disorder. Current methods of treatment of these syndromes range from psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy and in severe refractory cases, lobotomy. Despite the usefulness of all these methods, 10-28 % of the depressed patients remain refractory to treatment (Bratfos and Haug, 1968; Greenblatt et al, 1964; Smith et al, 1969). As suicide is a relatively high risk in depressed patients, refractory patients may run even higher risk. Hence, various workers have attempted to enhance the antidepressant effects of medications by different techniques. As the basis of all these techniques remain hypothetical at this time, the conclusive evidence of the effectiveness of these methods can come from the clinical application of these techniques by the physicians in treating their intractable, depressed patients.