In the 1950s, psychiatric "miracle drugs" revolutionized the treatment of depression, improving the quality of life of countless patients. Over half a century and millions of prescriptions later, advances in brain structure, neurochemistry, and genetics are providing clues to the mechanisms of depression and pointing to new therapeutic possibilities.
Depression and Drugs makes the most of these recent developments, introducing both a neurobehavioral theory of chemical/behavioral interactions and a practical framework for modernizing the conceptualization, assessment, and treatment of depression. Its multidimensional analysis offers insights into the brain structures most affected by the disorder, and the complex phenomena involved in medication. By focusing on cognitive, behavioral, and mood effects as well as brain chemistry, the author identifies false leads that have led to impasses in developing better antidepressants and explains why "mild" cases are often the hardest to treat. These groundbreaking ideas bring readers their closest to scientifically answering the eternal questions How do depressive states form? and How do drugs resolve them? Included in the coverage:
Dimensions versus diagnosis in depression research.
The experience of the severe depressed state.
The componential approach to developing measures of mood and behavior.
Testing new hypotheses about chemistry, depression, and drugs.
Developing a more effective clinical trial model.
Plus appendices detailing emerging assessment methods.
This knowledge has the potential for sparking change across a number of fields, making Depression and Drugs of immediate interest to graduate students in psychology and medicine, practicing clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, clinical psychopharmacologists, and basic researchers in psychology andneuropsychopharmacology.
