Abstract : Remission and prevention of recurences are the main objectives in the management of affective disorders. If it is assumed that remission is the ultimate objective of treatment in affective disorders, it is important to be aware of the most effective therapeutic strategies available for achieving this state. However, with conventional agents, several patients are nonresponders or exhibit only a partial response to initial treatment. Thanks to a better understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms of affective disorders, new therapeutical strategies have been developed. The future will include the developement of new original pharmacological agents outside the field of the classical monoaminergic hypothesis of depression.