{"id":633491,"date":"2026-09-23T12:54:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T12:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/633491\/"},"modified":"2026-09-23T12:54:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T12:54:10","slug":"antidepressants-dont-work-for-nearly-1-in-3-patients-so-doctors-are-trying-something-else","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/633491\/","title":{"rendered":"Antidepressants Don\u2019t Work for Nearly 1 in 3 Patients, So Doctors Are Trying Something Else"},"content":{"rendered":"

For millions of Americans treated for depression, the first antidepressant may not work. Neither may the second. In fact, an estimated 30.9% of U.S. adults with medication-treated major depressive disorder have treatment-resistant depression, according to a 2021 analysis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But that label doesn\u2019t mean someone is out of options. As The New York Times<\/a> recently reported<\/a>, doctors can move beyond conventional antidepressants to treatments including transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and esketamine nasal spray.<\/p>\n

Related: A Study of 133,000 Men Revealed Two Different Testosterone Levels That Spike Depression Risk<\/a><\/p>\n

When Depression Becomes \u2018Treatment-Resistant\u2019\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo by Getty Images<\/p>\n

There isn\u2019t one universally accepted definition. Yale psychiatrist Gerard Sanacora, MD, PhD<\/a>, told the Times that many clinicians use the term when someone hasn\u2019t experienced at least a 50% improvement after trying two antidepressants in succession for four to six weeks each.<\/p>\n

That threshold matters because continuing to cycle through similar medications may produce diminishing returns. The Yale Depression Research Program<\/a> notes that after two failed trials, \u201cthe likelihood of treatment success drops to 15% or less.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doctors may also look beyond the prescription bottle. Depression symptoms can overlap with conditions such as sleep apnea, thyroid disease and anxiety. A large 2025 <\/a>JAMA Psychiatry<\/a> study<\/a> involving 292,663 participants also found genetic predisposition to insomnia was associated with increased risk of treatment-resistant depression.<\/p>\n

Next: Blood Tests May Reveal a Hidden Form of Depression, Psychiatrist Says<\/a><\/p>\n

Doctors Have Treatments Beyond Another Pill<\/p>\n

TMS is a noninvasive treatment that uses magnetic pulses to stimulate the brain. The FDA permitted TMS for major depression in 2008, and a 2023 meta-analysis<\/a> found patients receiving repetitive TMS after two antidepressant failures were 2.78 times as likely to achieve remission as those receiving sham treatment.<\/p>\n

Another option is Spravato, or esketamine. The FDA-approved nasal spray<\/a> can now be used alone or with an oral antidepressant for adults with treatment-resistant depression. It must be administered under medical supervision because of risks including sedation, dissociation and respiratory depression.<\/p>\n

There is unlikely to be one universal fix. \u201cYou can take the medicine,\u201d Sanacora told the Times, \u201cbut you also have to do the other physical and social interventions that are so important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Physical and Social Interventions Can Help, Too<\/p>\n

Medication isn\u2019t the only part of depression treatment. Research supports several practical strategies that can complement care:<\/p>\n

Move your body. A large 2024BMJ<\/a> systematic review and meta-analysis<\/a> covering 218 studies and 14,170 participants found that walking or jogging, strength training<\/a>, yoga and other forms of exercise reduced depression symptoms. Walking or jogging produced one of the strongest effects.<\/p>\n

Schedule something meaningful. Behavioral activation encourages people to deliberately plan rewarding or meaningful activities rather than waiting to feel motivated. A 2026 meta-analysis<\/a> of 105 trials involving 13,933 patients found behavioral activation effective for adult depression, with benefits still evident at 12 months.<\/p>\n

Stay connected. Don\u2019t underestimate regular contact with other people. A systematic review and meta-analysis<\/a> found that interventions designed to strengthen social connection produced a small reduction in depressive symptoms among young adults, though the researchers stressed that more high-quality evidence is needed.<\/p>\n

The goal isn\u2019t to replace medication, psychotherapy, TMS or other medical care with a workout or dinner with friends. It\u2019s to build physical activity, purposeful activity and social connection into the broader treatment plan\u2014ideally with guidance from a mental health professional.<\/p>\n

Related: I\u2019m a Trainer: Your 40s and 50s May Be the Most Important Decades for Longevity, Experts Say<\/a><\/p>\n

This story was originally published by Men’s Journal<\/a> on Sep 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the Health<\/a> section. Add Men’s Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For millions of Americans treated for depression, the first antidepressant may not work. Neither may the second. In…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":633492,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[103,61,60,410,411],"class_list":["post-633491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mental-health","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-mental-health","tag-mentalhealth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/633491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=633491"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/633491\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/633492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=633491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=633491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=633491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}