Antidepressant:Anything, and especially a drug, used to prevent or treat depression.
The availableantidepressantdrugs include the SSRIs or selectiveserotoninreuptake抑制剂,MAOIs或单胺oxidase inhibitors,tricyclic antidepressants, tetracyclicantidepressants, and others.
Antidepressants should not be used unless thedepressionis severe and/or other treatments have failed. As with all drugs, the use of antidepressants requires monitoring forside effects, and suicide should be considered a possible side effect of the newer antidepressants, particularlyinchildren and adolescents.