New thoughts on the concept of "treatment resistance" in depression and its clinical practice
- VernacularTitle:对抑郁症“难治”概念及其临床实践的新思考
- Author:
Bangshan LIU
1
;
Minyao WANG
1
;
Ling YU
1
;
Wenwen OU
1
;
Jin LIU
1
;
Yumeng JU
1
;
Mei LIAO
1
;
Mi WANG
1
;
Li ZHANG
1
;
Yan ZHANG
1
Author Information
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords: Depressive disorder; Conceptual evolution; Practical challenges; Insights and recommendations
- From: Chinese Journal of Psychiatry 2025;58(5):392-398
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
- Abstract: Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) remains a major challenge in psychiatric clinical practice. However, there is still substantial controversy in the academic community regarding how to define and assess it, and treat and manage these patients effectively. This paper reviews the evolution of the concept of "treatment resistance"in depression with a particular focus on comparing the conventional concept of TRD with the recently proposed concept of "Difficult-to-Treat Depression (DTD)". It explores the underlying rationale and logic behind this conceptual shift, and discusses the practical challenges associated with implementing the "DTD" framework in clinical practice. Finally, the paper provides targeted recommendations to address these challenges, aiming to serve as a reference for psychiatric clinicians and researchers in China.
