I wish to add to this excellent, compact, and up to date research article by making the following observation:
Lithium, as is correctly stated, is effective in preventing recurrence in unipolar depression. Its indication is crucially supported, however, especially for patients with preceding suicide attempts, by the efficacy that has been shown for lithium only in numerous studies, in preventing suicidal acts and lowering the excess mortality of depressive patients (1).
In the "supportive strategies" it would be useful to mention that not only activating but also relaxing physiotherapeutic methods—such as appropriate and scientifically investigated massage techniques—have clear antidepressant effects (2, 3).
Footnotes
Conflict of interest statement
The author declares that no conflict of interest exists according to the guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors.
References
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