George I. Papakostas, MD

Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts

  • 74Articles
  • 421.6KReads
  • 2003–2025Active
  • 167Collaborators
  • 1.9KCitations

About

George I. Papakostas, MD, is affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Since 2003, Papakostas has contributed extensively to the fields of depression, psychiatry, neurology, cognition, dementia, metabolic disorders, psychopharmacology, and schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorders. His publications focus on clinical trials and analyses related to major depressive disorder, including studies on esmethadone, esketamine, vortioxetine, and adjunctive treatments, as well as research on treatment-resistant depression and measurement-based care. He has frequently collaborated with Maurizio Fava, Madhukar H. Trivedi, Richard C. Shelton, David Mischoulon, and Jonathan E. Alpert.

Publications

JCP
Esmethadone (REL-1017) in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder and Antidepressant Tachyphylaxis
Original Research

Esmethadone (REL-1017) in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder and Antidepressant Tachyphylaxis

October 6, 2025

Esmethadone may be a potentially safe and effective adjunctive treatment for patients with MDD and antidepressant tachyphylaxis.
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JCP
Effect of Aripiprazole or rTMS Augmentation Versus Switching to Venlafaxine on Quality of Life
Original Research

Effect of Aripiprazole or rTMS Augmentation Versus Switching to Venlafaxine on Quality of Life

August 11, 2025

Augmentation with aripiprazole, but not rTMS, improved quality of life significantly versus venlafaxine XR/duloxetine switch in patients with treatment-resistant depression.
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JCP
Rapidity of Improvement With Intranasal Esketamine for MDD
Meta-Analysis

Rapidity of Improvement With Intranasal Esketamine for MDD

December 12, 2022

This meta-analysis found that augmenting antidepressants with intranasal esketamine vs placebo was more effective in reducing depression severity at 24 hours and study endpoint.
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JCP
Effect of Benzodiazepines on Antidepressant Effects of Ketamine
Original Research

Effect of Benzodiazepines on Antidepressant Effects of Ketamine

November 14, 2022

Findings of studies examining the impact of benzodiazepines on antidepressant effects of ketamine are contradictory. This study assessed whether concomitant oral benzodiazepines differentially affected treatment response to ketamine versus...
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JCP
Meta-Analysis

Vortioxetine for Major Depressive Disorder

June 15, 2021

Prior meta-analyses have found vortioxetine to be efficacious for depression. Building on those findings, the present meta-analysis examined the effect that placebo response has on drug-placebo effect size in...
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JCP
Talking With Patients Who Have Major Depressive Disorder About the Benefits and Risks Associated With Atypical Antipsychotics
Insights

Talking With Patients Who Have Major Depressive Disorder About the Benefits and Risks Associated With Atypical Antipsychotics

April 6, 2021

Learn how to talk with patients who have major depressive disorder about antipsychotic treatment in a way that is clear and balanced and addresses patients’ potential concerns about taking...
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JCP
Switching Versus Augmentation in Patients With Inadequate Antidepressant Response
Insights

Switching Versus Augmentation in Patients With Inadequate Antidepressant Response

April 6, 2021

Expert discuss why clinicians often switch antidepressants before considering augmentation strategies, as well as the potential consequences of those treatment decisions
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JCP
Residual Symptoms Seen in Patients With Inadequate Antidepressant Response
Insights

Residual Symptoms Seen in Patients With Inadequate Antidepressant Response

April 6, 2021

An expert panel describes residual symptoms often seen in patients with major depressive disorder who have inadequate response to antidepressants
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JCP
Benefits of Implementing Measurement-Based Care in Clinical Practice
Insights

Benefits of Implementing Measurement-Based Care in Clinical Practice

April 6, 2021

Dr Roueen Rafeyan relates how implementation of measurement-based care has provided valuable insights into his patients’ clinical status
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JCP
Original Research

Adjunctive Pimavanserin and Sleep/Wakefulness in MDD

December 1, 2020

Adjunctive pimavanserin can reduce depressive symptoms and improve function in patients with major depression and inadequate antidepressant response. This analysis evaluated the effects of adjunctive pimavanserin on sleep/wakefulness disturbances.
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JCP
Commentary

Happiness and Treatment Outcome in Resistant Depression

November 10, 2020

This commentary discusses the implications of a recent article by Chen et al that investigated whether a patient's happiness level during ketamine infusion can predict their eventual antidepressant response...
JCP
Meta-Analysis

Esketamine Augmentation in Major Depressive Disorder

May 26, 2020

The FDA has now approved intranasal esketamine as augmention in treatment-resistant depression, and recent studies of its efficacy have been encouraging. This meta-analysis synthesizes the evidence to provide an...
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Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc. (PPP) makes no warranties about the accuracy or completeness of any information published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry or other PPP materials, and disclaims liability for any use or non-use of that information. Clinicians should not rely solely on these materials and should exercise their own professional judgment when making patient care decisions on an individualized basis.

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