To assess depressive disorders a number of reliable and valid instruments exist. They are suitable for screening, assessment of the severity of depressive disorders and classification according to ICD-10 or DSM-IV criteria. Instruments are available as ...

Since a variety of psychiatric as well as somatic conditions may present with depressive symptoms, careful diagnostic evaluation is warranted. The following article summarizes the most important aspects and provides a clinical guideline for the diagnostic ...

Burnout denotes an occupational health concept of emotional and physical exhaustion, depersonalization und decreased personal accomplishment. Prevalence rates range from 10 % to 50 %, depending from profession, assessment tools and population. Generally, ...

The biopsychosocial model has been developed from general system theory and describes the interaction of body and mind. Unipolar depression has a complex pathogenesis which on an individual level presents in very diverse ways. The article focuses on ...

About 11 % of pregnant women suffer from a major depression requiring treatment. If left untreated, there are specific risks such as preterm delivery or low birth weight. The initial difficulty lies in diagnosing the depression itself, since many ...

Postpartum depressive disorders, except for the brief and common postpartum blues, are serious mental disorders which can result in adversities for the mother, her infant and the whole family. Information and prevention should be topics of major concern. ...

Based on empirical evidence, psychotherapeutic treatment of depression is recommended if the following methods are applied: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Interpersonal Therapy (IPT), and Psychoanalytic/Short-term Psychodynamic Therapy. The empirical ...

Biological treatment procedures are based on evidence-based guidelines. According to all of them, a correct diagnosis of depression is required before starting therapy. Within recent years many different types of antidepressants have been introduced to ...

By now psychoeducation is also recommended for the treatment of depression, due to data showing high acceptance and efficacy regarding a broad range of clinical variables. The impact of family-involvement by groups for relatives is not sufficiently ...

One of the four main objectives of the alliances against depression is better diagnosis and therapy of depression by general practitioners. This short communication will discuss reasons of the often reported low detection rate and ways to improve the ...