After achieving
full symptom remission, patients should be maintained on antidepressants for at least 6–9 months before stopping. Patients with risk factors for recurrence should have a
personalized assessment for maintenance treatment. Most should be maintained on their antidepressant for at least 2 years and some may require lifetime maintenance.
The dose of antidepressant for maintenance treatment should be the same as that required for acute treatment. Reproduced with permission from Lam et al., 2009