The Encyclopedia of Depression. Roberta Roesch. 263 pp. Facts on File, New York. 1991. ISBN 0-8160-1936-3 Those who work in mental health areas know the vast scope of multidisciplinary information and resource material on depression. The Encyclopedia of Depression is quite remarkable, encompassing entries ranging from Dostoevski to Prozac and food to funerals. The book is very accessible and will appeal to interested individuals in the world's oldest professions and youngest interest groups. For people ... Read More

More than 20% of patients with major depression have not recovered after 2 years and, of those who do initially recover, 20% suffer a relapse 1 year later. Most studies have shown that 60% to 70% of patients respond to the first antidepressant used and a further 10% to 15% respond either to a second antidepressant or to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). About 15% of patients fail to recover even with ... Read More

Anxiety and depression are common symptoms of a failure to cope with mental stress. Traditional treatments for these conditions have often involved psychotherapy. Now, mounting evidence suggests that physical activity is a comparable, economical alternative for treating and preventing mental health problems. States and Traits When studying anxiety and depression, researchers distinguish between states and traits. Traits are relatively stable aspects of personality. States are more transient and occur in specific situations. ... Read More

Ask the Doctor: Depression Vincent Friedewald Andrews McMeel Publishing, Kansas City. 1998. 114 pp. Illust. ISBN 0-8362-2711-5 Overall rating: Very good Strengths: Complete, well written, organized, comfortable style Weaknesses: Requires high school education level to read Audience: Patients and families This book was written to provide just enough information about the common and important condition of depression to a sophisticated lay audience. It achieves that goal in a comfortable, readable format at reasonable cost. The information provided is much ... Read More

It is well recognized that depressive disorders are very common in general practice. Estimates of the prevalence of depression vary, but a recent estimate puts the figure at approximately 10%. Only a small percentage, less than 10%, of depressed patients in primary care are referred to psychiatric services. Thus 90% of depressed patients are probably treated by family physicians. It is therefore critical that family physicians be skilled in recognition ... Read More

Handbook of Depression. Second Edition EE Beckham, WR Leber, editors New York: Guilford Press; 1995. 628 p This multiauthor book is edited by E Edward Beckham, PhD, and William R Leber, PhD, both associate professors in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Oklahoma University. Its 628 pages contain 5 sections and 2 appendices: 1) Defining the Boundaries of Depression (epidemiology, diagnostic classification, assessment of severity and symptom patterns, and relations to ... Read More

Major depression affects 5% to 10% of patients seen by primary care physicians. Despite the advent of new antidepressant drugs, up to 20% of patients remain fully resistant to treatment and a further 20% to 30% only partly respond to treatment. Therapy should aim at eradicating depressive symptoms completely (i.e., complete remission) because incomplete recovery is associated with continued functional impairment and a greater ... Read More

Research question Is sertraline (Zoloft) effective at improving the symptoms and reducing the functional impairment associated with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)? Type of article and design Prospective, multicentre, double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial. Relevance to family physicians As defined by DSM-IV criteria, PMDD has a group of physical and behavioural symptoms that occur during the premenstrual period and are severe enough to interfere with work, usual activities, and relationships. Premenstrual ... Read More

1981 The first modern antidepressant drugs were developed in the 1950s. Initially drugs which were inhibitors of the enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO) were discovered to have useful antidepressant properties and, several years later, a second and more important class of antidepressant compounds was discovered. Imipramine is the prototype of the latter category, known as the tricyclic antidepressants (TAD) and now much more extensively used than ... Read More

Treating clinical depression in pregnant and breastfeeding mothers has always required assessing the risk of using a psychotropic medication, which might affect a developing fetus, against the benefits of preventing a mother from becoming incapacitated with depressive symptoms. Increasing experience with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class of antidepressants (eg, fluoxetine , sertraline , fluvoxamine , and paroxetine ) in the peripartum period ... Read More