To estimate the efficacy of lamotrigine as add-on therapy in patients with recurrent depression resistant to antidepressive pharmacotherapy.

The study included 55 patients of both sexes aged 18-65 years with recurrent depressive disorder. At the time of inclusion in the study, patients received antidepressive pharmacotherapy for 2 months with a reduction in depressive symptoms less than 25%.

According to the results of clinical observations, patients with atypical variants of depressive symptoms have been isolated

1. - Anxious or agitated depression with dominance or significant share of anxiety affect, ideational and motor excitation, high suicide risk;

2. - Apathetic depression - lack of desire and motivation to work, intolerance to intellectual and physical activities;

3. - Adynamic or anergic depression dominated by slackness, weakness in the presence of the desire for activity;

4. - Dysphoric depression with an angry, irritable background mood, a tendency to auto-and getero-agressive actions.

In patients with atypical depression and (anxious and dysphoric), lamotrigine adjunctive therapy, a significantly more positive dynamic state was observed than in patients with classical clinical picture of depression.

On the Hamilton depression scale decreased to 13 points or less (no anxiety-depressive symptoms) with 25 points or more (clinical symptoms of anxiety depression) at the beginning of the research;

The efficacy of lamotrigine to overcome treatment resistance in recurrent depression. The most expedient is to use it for additional therapy in combination with antidepressants in recurrent depression with atypical clinical picture of depression - anxious and dysphoric.