A new generation of drugs for depression is stirring excitement and transforming the way scientists and clinicians diagnose, treat, and think about the illness. In a field that for decades has seen little significant innovation, these novel drugs — more than 60 are in the pipeline — raise the prospect of pharmaceutical treatments that are more precise, more individualized and more effective than any of their predecessors. And companies are racing to develop compounds that can dominate the market, as Prozac and Zoloft did in the 1990s. 

This report, by Benedict Carey, a freelance science writer and the former human behavior reporter for The New York Times, offers you an authoritative look at the players and their prospects. In it, you will

• Learn about the five families of compounds under development and the possibilities and pitfalls for companies hoping to bring them to market

• Gain an understanding of the role psychedelics have played in pioneering this new frontier

• Hear how neuroscientists and psychiatrists are changing their thinking about the diagnosis of depression and the best approach to treating patients