However, medication fails to improve negative symptoms or problems in thinking significantly.

When medication fails to ease the symptoms of clinical depression, there are other options to try.

If medications fail to maintain an adequate quality of life, surgical options may need to be considered.

"I do believe Crohn's surgery should only be used when medication fails, but it was definitely the best decision for me," she says.

Patients commonly seek acupuncturists for pain, often when medications and other procedures have failed.

The unanswered question that remains is how many medications a person must fail before considering surgery.

It may be recommended when medications fail or cause unacceptable side effects.

Experts also hope that the new drugs can help those for whom existing medication is failing.

The standard medication, lithium, fails to help about half the patients who take it.

Doctors typically don't prescribe it unless other medications have failed.