Forms of atypical depression and their response to antidepressant drugs.

Three definitions of atypical depression are evaluated with respect to the effects of monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) on the basis of pooled data from several double-blind studies. Those three definitions of atypical depression are depression with associated panic, depression secondary to a diagnosis of anxiety, and depression with reversed vegetative change. In none of these forms was a drug difference observed. However, when gender was taken into account, MAOIs were superior to TCAs in depressed women with panic attacks, whereas TCAs were superior to MAOIs in depressed men with panic attacks.