PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS IN DYSTHYMIA

The results of early therapeutic trials (1960s and 70s) in mild chroni c depression (neurotic patients) are difficult to extrapolate to dysth ymia. Most studies conducted in the early 1980s showed reference drugs (TCAs and MAOIs) to be poorly effective in chronic mild depression us ually defined with RDC. The most recent trials using DSM-III-R criteri a for dysthymic recruitment showed TCAs, new MAOIs (RIMA) and SSRI to be effective. All these compounds have a rather similar pharmacolo,gic al mechanism of action. It is therefore of both practical and theoreti cal interest that amisulpride, a benzamide derivative blocking D-2 and D-3 pre-synaptic receptors, has been found effective in the treatment of dysthymia in different placebo and reference controlled trials. Th is result is in line with the pharmacological data on animal 'anhedoni c models'.