Depression is assessed by a specialist as requiring medication, and generally the medication can be stopped only after completing the full course of treatment, which includes 8-12 weeks of treatment in the acute phase and 4-9 months of treatment in the consolidation phase, during which the dose, type and method of taking medication are unchanged, while the maintenance treatment period is to minimize the probability of rekindling and recurrence of depression. There is no consensus on the duration of maintenance treatment, which is generally considered to be at least 2-3 years. For patients with multiple recurrent episodes or more pronounced residual symptoms, scholars and experts advocate long-term maintenance treatment. After maintenance treatment, if the patient’s condition is stable and there are no other triggering factors, the drug can be slowly reduced until it is discontinued, but if during the reduction process, once the patient is found to have signs of relapse, treatment should be quickly resumed.