Depression is one of the most frequent psychiatric disorders whose prevalence has been increasing by the year worldwide despite a relatively fast development of new antidepressants. This increase is justifiably being associated with a wide range of exogenous situations, primarily with increasingly stressogenic life conditions and sudden changes in value systems and lifestyle. Depression is often associated with suicidal tendencies. Current research data show that suicidal risk is most often present in depressed patients and it shows an increasing trend. The number of suicide cases is significantly higher among men than women. In recent years, research into biology of depression and suicide has intensified. The results of the studies have shown that serotonin, noradrenalin and dopamine play equally important roles in the development of depressive mood and have led to the development of new, effective antidepressants. 

Key words:
antidepressants; bipolar disorder; comorbidity; depression; depressive disorder; suicide; suicidality