Someone once referred to depression as the common cold of psychopathology (= clinical disorders). The comparison was meant to suggest that depression is as wide spread (and perhaps as easy to "catch") as the common cold. There are many facts about depression, and fortunately, much is known about its treatment. It is an area of considerable research attention.The big controversy in the field today is the relative effectiveness of either a biological (medical) approach or one that emphasizes cognitive-behavioral therapy (psychological), among other "psychotherapies." This difference in approach partially reflects something about depression itself. In some cases, the roots of depression seem very much biological: a person starts out quite early showing depressive symptoms and largely continues into adulthood. In the older literature, this was referred to as endogenous depression, stemming largely from biological causes. Today, major clinical depression refers to the more persistent formed of depression, and the older distinctions between endogenous and reactive depression are no longer used. To distinguish between the older "manic depression" and non cyclical depression, the terms bi-polar and unipolar depression are used.The thread of this distinction between a more biologically based depression vs. one that was a response to environmental stress of one sort or another continues today. There has been a distinction that seems to reflect one's biology (brain mechanisms) or life events in a social context (interpersonal stressors) as the causative factors.
Not surprisingly, today there are advocates on both sides of the depression treatment issue. In point of fact there is less of a practical distinction than may be suggested by the debates. Practically, the use of antidepressants can achieve dramatic changes in mood rather quickly. This would suggest that some neurotransmitter activity is involved and a biological approach is supported. On the other hand, studies have shown cognitive-behavioral and interpersonal therapy to be as effective as antidepressants, which raises the question, maybe it is not just a biochemical issue. For some, the combination of close management of medications and cognitive-behavioral therapy is the best approach. For those who are opposed to medications cognitive-behavioral therapy or interpersonal therapy are excellent choices.
I have listed a number of excellent sources on the WEB that you can turn to for detailed information about all forms of depression and treatment.
Here is a depression self adminstered screening test: Screening Test.
Links to Depression Sites
