About one person in six now suffers from serious depression, and its prevalence appears to be rising in the United States, where depression ranks as the third most commonly diagnosed condition after cardiovascular illness and musculoskeletal disease. Worldwide, it is estimated that at least 100 million people suffer from clinically recognizable and treatable depression. Thus, this book on mood disorders is timely and pertinent. It is a collection of papers presented at the Tenth Annual Taylor Manor Hospital Psychiatric Symposium last year, and it is a comprehensive review of the current state of knowledge of mood disorders.
In the last decade, enormous strides have been made in uncovering the biologic and genetic basis of depression. In keeping with such investigative trends, this book primarily focuses on the biology of affective disorder, though psychodynamic forces are not ignored. Noted authorities contributing to the book include Heinz E. Lehmann, MD, Mogans Schou,