Antidepressants: How do they work? A Web chat Thursday can provide answers

People suffering from depression usually can find an antidepressant that works for them -- even if they have to try more than one. But how long will the drug continue to work? Here’s an online discussion about the long-term effects and other aspects of these drugs.

A panel at a live Web chat Thursday (noon EST, 11 a.m. CST, 9 a.m. PST) is to include Dr. John Goethe, director of the IOL Research and Depression Initiative at Hartford Hospital; Dr. Surita Rao, department head for behavioral health at St. Francis Hospital; and Andrew Winokur, director of the Neuropsychopharmacology Treatment, Research and Training Center at the University of Connecticut.

This U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality guide outlines the benefits and side effects of antidepressant drugs as well as the symptoms of depression that would warrant such a prescription. Join the online discussion to learn more -- and get answers to questions you might have about these drugs.