ABSTRACT
This chapter has been developed to provide a brief yet historical account of the multiple achievements that have made treating major depressive disorder (MDD) safer, more efficient, and possibly more effective over time. Many of the treatments discussed below, albeit older, are still employed to gain remission from depressive symptoms. We will first review the history of antidepressant development by way of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) systematic approval of agents, dating back to the 1950s. Second, we will cover the development of psychotherapeutic techniques dating back to the 1800s. The thought behind this chapter is that we must know our history in regard to being aware of all of the potential treatments that may be used to better treat our MDD patients.
