Paroxetine in the treatment of recurrent brief depressive disorder

Recurrent brief depressive disorder is now a well-recognized type of depressive disorder. However, there is still no clear evidence base for its treatment. The efficacy of several drugs including antidepressants and mood stabilizers in this disorder has been controversial. Methodological limitations need to be considered when interpreting the results of studies on efficacy of drugs in this disorder. We report a case of recurrent brief depressive disorder that responded dramatically to paroxetine. However, there is a need for larger, methodologically sound, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies.