There are three stages of treatment. The goal of treatment in the acute phase is the complete elimination of depressive symptoms; the goal of treatment in the consolidation phase is to maintain the good therapeutic results already obtained; and the goal of treatment in the maintenance phase is to prevent relapse, restore social functioning, and successfully cope with stimuli and stresses that arise in life. The achievement of the goals of the former phase is the basis for the latter phase. The details are as follows: 1. Acute phase treatment (1-3 months) First of all, the treatment of depression is first of all the acute phase treatment, this treatment has to be taken from the beginning of the medication to about a week, and the medication is gradually taking effect. There may be some adverse drug reactions during this period, which will be reduced or disappear with the prolongation of medication time, so don’t give up the treatment easily. 2, the consolidation phase (6-12 months) Secondly, the treatment of depression on top of the previous period of treatment, according to expert advice to continue to take medication. As the medication takes effect, the patient will feel better and better. Many patients mistakenly believe that the disease has been cured and stop taking the medication, and as a result, their previous work is abandoned. 3, maintenance treatment period (12-24 months) Maintenance treatment becomes more important, the course of treatment in this phase, according to the patient’s degree of severity to master. This is a very important phase of treatment, but also the most error-prone part, so it is important to cooperate with the hospital’s follow-up and reasonable advice given by experts. Theoretically, depression is a disease that can be cured and does not require lifelong medication. However, in clinical practice, it is found that some depressed patients are prone to recurrent episodes. In the first episode of depression, the medication should be continued for 6 months-1 year after the symptoms are eliminated. If there have been two episodes, it is better to keep taking medication for 1-2 years after the cure. If there are more than 3 recurrent episodes, long-term medication is recommended. Which type of patients can stop the medication is still difficult for doctors to predict in the clinic, and many times can only be known after a discontinuation attempt. If the medication is stopped prematurely, it may lead to another episode of depression. At this point, the same treatment methods used before may not achieve as good results as before. Abrupt discontinuation may also lead to discontinuation reactions with a series of psychophysiological manifestations, such as headache, insomnia, nausea, anxiety, etc. Therefore, discontinuing medication under the guidance of a physician can reduce the risk of relapse, prevent and minimize discontinuation reactions. If a patient intends to discontinue the medication, it is important to choose the right time. If the patient has a major event in the near future, such as exams or marriage, it is not suitable to stop the medication, which is prone to relapse and has a significant impact on life, work and study. Therefore, it is generally important to choose a time when the internal and external environment is better before trying to stop the medication. For example, after graduating from school or after getting married and before having children, to reduce the impact on fertility. In addition, when stopping the drug should be gradually reduced, closely monitor the emotional and physiological in changes, such as fluctuations, may also have to restore the drug to the original amount.