A breakthrough for severe depression: MUSC Health delivers relief in days, not months

(BPT) - For millions of people living with major depressive disorder, finding an effective treatment can feel like a never-ending process of trial and error — with no guarantee of relief. Although depression is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, the most common first-line approach, talk therapy combined with medication, frequently falls short.

The problem with this approach is that the first medication prescribed works only about 30% of the time, with the likelihood of success dropping with each subsequent attempt — to under 7% by the fourth medication. Meanwhile, patients continue to suffer debilitating symptoms, endure negative side effects from the medications and, in some cases, remain at a heightened risk of suicide.