Clinical staging in depression

Abstract Clinical staging is a system of classification for determining the position of an individual within a continuum of severity, taking into account the longitudinal course of the disease. Several studies point to major depressive disorder as a progressive condition that could benefit from a staging approach. Four clinical staging models have been developed for depression, but only one has been empirically tested. Furthermore, five staging models for treatment-resistant depression have been proposed, but there is validity data for only three of those. Staging models could guide the choice of treatment depending on the course of the disease; along this line, some studies have proposed different therapeutic interventions according to clinical stages.