The American Psychiatric Association (1983) reports that recurrent episodes occur in at least 50% of patients who seek treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). Most studies, though, have examined only single occurrences. To help describe the episodic nature of MDD, the National Institute of Mental Health initiated the Collaborative Program on the Psychobiology of Depression, a prospective, naturalistic, longitudinal investigation. This program's early research found the cumulative probability of recurrence ... Read More

Friedman S, editor New York, London: The Guilford Press; 1997. 261 pp. with index ISBN 1-57230-237-2 Anxiety is a profound human experience. Anxiety disorders are universal in human societies, although the diagnostic patterns vary over time and from one place to another. This volume describes some culturally bound anxiety syndromes, but dwells on the diagnostic categories of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, third (DSM-III), third ... Read More

Handbook of Essential Psychopharmacology Pies RW Washington: American Psychiatric Press; 1998. 416 pp. with index ISBN 0-88048-765-8 This concise, slim, well-edited paperback review of essential psychopharmacology is divided into 4 chapters, on antidepressants, anti-psychotics, anxiolytics and sedative-hypnotics, and mood stabilizers, including novel anticonvulsants. Each chapter begins with an overview that includes drug class indications, mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, common side effects, drug interactions, augmentation strategies, and use in ... Read More

Depression in late life is a treatable disorder and is not a part of the normal aging process, points out Ira R. Katz, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center. Primary-care doctors, however, often overlook or misdiagnose depression in older people (those over age 75), said Dr. Katz. Of those older persons who are depressed, only one in six will be properly diagnosed and treated. ... 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