Depression is a disabling condition and the third most common reason for consulting a GP in the UK. Depression is the second cause of disability worldwide in 2020. Treatment-resistant depression defined as people with major depressive disorder (MDD) who do not respond adequately to two courses of appropriate antidepressant medication within a certain time. A multicentre study found that around 50% of depressed patients were considered treatment-resistant after two consecutive courses of treatment with antidepressants.
Many people worldwide are suffering from major depression and every day is a battle in confronting the symptoms that comes with this mental condition. An additional burden that people suffering from major depression are facing is that the medications that they are on are not having the desired effect or no effect at all making patients treatment-resistant.
This is a frustrating scenario for many people who are suffering from major depression. Another major disadvantage is that most antidepressants that are available take weeks or months to start working and for some patients do not work at all. This is failing patients who are at risk of harming themselves through self-harm and suicide.