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Annual Review of Medicine

Volume 76, 2025

Transformative Therapies for Depression: Postpartum Depression, Major Depressive Disorder, and Treatment-Resistant Depression

Abstract

Depressive disorders present an enormous global public health burden. A notable treatment gap exists between the prevalence of depression and our ability to provide rapid-acting, effective treatment that achieves remission. Brexanolone and zuranolone, the first US Food and Drug Administration–approved drugs for postpartum depression, signify a critical advancement in addressing the unmet needs of a vulnerable patient population. Psilocybin shows promise for treatment-resistant depression and for those who have struggled to find relief with existing treatments. This review discusses transformative therapies that represent significant advancements in postpartum depression, major depressive disorder, and treatment-resistant depression.

Keyword(s): brexanolone, major depression, neurosteroids, postpartum depression, psilocybin, treatment-resistant depression, zuranolone
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/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-med-050423-095712
2025-01-27
2025-04-18
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/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-med-050423-095712
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Transformative Therapies for Depression: Postpartum Depression, Major Depressive Disorder, and Treatment-Resistant Depression
Annual Review of Medicine 76, 81 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-med-050423-095712
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-med-050423-095712
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-med-050423-095712
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