The importance of early clinical cure of depression A Danish case registry study (MDD: n=17,447) specified that the time between previous episodes of depression and relapse was shorter the more frequent they were. In the STAR*D study, the clinical recovery rate was only 33% with the initial regimen (citalopram), followed by a 3-stage add-on or switch regimen. As a result, there was no statistically significant difference in clinical recovery rates for both cognitive and pharmacological treatment compared to the medication change versus medication addition regimen, and the clinical recovery rates were lower in phases 3 and 4 than in phases 1 and 2, i.e., the clinical recovery rates of patients decreased rather than increased over time. Other relevant studies have also pointed out that the longer the duration of untreated illness and the longer the relapse course in depressed patients, the lower the remission rate.