An evidence-based review of the clinical use of sertraline in mood and anxiety disorders.

Sertraline is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor that has been used and studied extensively throughout the world and found to be safe and well tolerated in numerous patient populations, including those with either psychiatric and/or medical comorbidities. Randomized clinical trials have shown that it is an effective treatment for depressive and anxiety disorders and its efficacy is unaffected by psychiatric comorbidity. In non-comorbid patients, sertraline is effective for the acute treatment of major depressive disorders and prevention of relapse or recurrence. It is effective for acute treatment and longer-term management of social anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder,panic disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. In adults and in pediatric patients, it is an effective short-term and long-term treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder.Sertraline has a good tolerability profile and has low fatal toxicity. In summary, sertraline is as effective as other antidepressants over a wide range of indications but may offer tolerability benefits as well as efficacy in patients with psychiatric and/or medical comorbidities and certain subtypes of depression.