Drug-resistant depression

Drug-resistant depression, refractory depression or treatment-resistant depression (TRD) are the terms used in clinical psychiatry to describe the condition, which affects people suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD) or clinical depression who are not sufficiently responsive to antidepressant treatment within a certain period of time. Some people cannot control their depression with medication, so new and appropriate treatments must be found. Scientists define treatment-resistant depression as depression, which does not respond to 2 prescribed antidepressants from two different classes.

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a neuromodulation technique used to treat treatment-resistant depression. This therapy involves the implantation of a small device that sends electrical impulses to the vagus nerve, helping to regulate mood and relieve symptoms of depression in patients who have failed other treatments.