Antidepressant discontinuation (withdrawal): Introduction

Antidepressant discontinuation (withdrawal) syndrome (ADS) is a relatively common and troublesome condition. Antidepressant discontinuation (withdrawal) is not a newly recognized syndrome. It was first reported with imipramine soon after it was introduced (Haddad and Anderson, 2007). Are antidepressants addictive? I have had several patients who asked me if the antidepressant I was recommending was potentially addictive….