AAMS Psychiatry & Behavioral Health · Vol. 12 · Issue 2 · 2026-03-28

Patient-reported outcomes following treatment-resistant depression

Dr. Bongani Mthembu, Dr. Stefan Berger, Dr. Fatima Al-Zahra, Prof. Maria González, Prof. Lukas Novak
1. University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; 2. University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; 3. American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon; 4. Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; 5. Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
DOI: 10.7759/aams.2026.1163
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Abstract

Background: Treatment-resistant depression remains a significant clinical challenge with substantial morbidity. This study aimed to evaluate contemporary diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in PSY. Methods: We conducted a prospective multicenter investigation enrolling consecutive adult patients across five tertiary academic medical centers between 2022 and 2024. Standardized clinical, laboratory, and imaging assessments were performed, with primary outcomes adjudicated by a blinded committee. Results: A total of 412 participants (mean age 54.3 years; 51.2% female) met inclusion criteria. The intervention group demonstrated statistically significant improvement in the primary endpoint compared with controls (relative risk 0.68, 95% CI 0.54-0.85, p<0.001). Adverse events were comparable between arms. Conclusions: Our findings support evidence-based integration of these approaches into routine clinical practice for patients with treatment-resistant depression. Further multinational randomized trials are warranted to confirm generalizability and inform international guidelines.

Keywords: biomarkers, depression, clinical trial, treatment-resistant, treatment-resistant depression

Full Text

Treatment-resistant depression has emerged as a critical focus area within PSY. This article presents original research findings.

See abstract for study design.

Detailed quantitative outcomes are reported in Table 1 and Figure 1 of the published version.

Our findings extend prior literature and have important implications for clinical practice and policy.

Patient-reported outcomes following treatment-resistant depression