Description
Book Synopsis Depression and Personality: Conceptual and Clinical Challenges offers an intriguing new look at where we are in understanding the relationship between personality dimensions, disorders, and mood disorder. It is both a cogent update of conceptual models and a clearly written, practical guide to the challenges faced every day by clinicians as they treat patients with depression and bipolar disorder.
Laying the groundwork for subsequent chapters, the editors emphasize the value of not only robust pharmacotherapy augmented by psychosocial interventions (with a focus on the assets rather than the liabilities of a patient's temperament), but also of a detailed review of where we are today.
An introductory overview provides valuable historical perspective on the evolution of personality from "humors" to body constitution and temperament. In 10 informative chapters, 22 contributors discuss
• The neurobiological dimensions of personality, focusing on affect-related traits as they review the evidence for serotonin and norepinephrine disturbance based on challenge paradigms, and the range of models to understand the interrelationship between personality and depression.
• The justification for depressive personality in both categorical terms, i.e., adding to the diagnostic armamentarium of DSM-V, and dimensional terms, focusing on the Five Factor Model to provide a link between several facets of neuroticism and depressive personality disorder.
• The impact of personality on various aspects of treatment, filling in a gap in the pharmacotherapy literature by asserting that personality pathology can affect the patient's capacity to seek, be engaged in, or be compliant with treatment.
• Key assessment and treatment issues, recommending a multimodal phased treatment approach that involves targeted pharmacotherapy and integrated individual psychotherapy.
• The role of personality disorder in the assessment and treatment of chronic depression, with a concise, practical overview of medication and psychotherapy issues regarding the role of Axis II disorders, and the complex relationship between bipolar disorder and personality factors.
• The complexity involved in adolescent depression with personality disorder, providing a conceptual framework for understanding what factors of personality contribute to vulnerability for depression in adolescents, and depression in later life, including particularly relevant issues such as the role of physical illness and organic factors on the clinical presentation of personality and affective disorder
Invaluable reading for clinicians and researchers alike, Depression and Personality: Conceptual and Clinical Challenges offers fascinating perspectives on the historical antecedents, neurobiological dimensions, and conceptual models regarding the relationship between personality and depression.
Trade ReviewTo my knowledge, this is the most concise presentation of the genetic, biological, environmental, interpersonal, and psychosocial factors that impinge on persons who might not respond well to treatment for depression because of underlying personality structures. This is a very important contribution that offers new hope in work with these people. The busy clinician will find the content in this well-organized book easily accessible.
* Doody's Book Review Service *
As a clinician, I found the conceptual chapters and clinical literature reviews stimulating, thought provoking, and clarifying. . . . I solidly recommend the volume for the professional who is interested in gaining a better understanding of current conceptual models of depression and personality as well as timely literature reviews of the same, and it should be valuable for both the researcher and the clinician. I also recommend it for adoption by clinical psychology graduate programs as an adjunct text in courses focusing on either affective disorders or personality disorders.
* PsycCritiques *
Overall, [Depression and Personality] tackles a wide set of findings. The chapters are clearly written. All of the conclusions and discussions are solidly grounded by empirical studies. The authors of each chapter are experts in their area, which is shown by the depth with which topics are presented.
* The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease *
Table of ContentsCONTRIBUTORS
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
PART I: CONCEPTUAL ISSUES
Chapter 1. PERSONALITY AND TEMPERAMENT: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES
Chapter 2. THE PSYCHOBIOLOGY OF PERSONALITY DISORDERS
Chapter 3. PERSONALITY TRAITS/DISORDERS AND DEPRESSION: A SUMMARY OF CONCEPTUAL AND EMPIRICAL FINDINGS
Chapter 4. THE DEPRESSIVE PERSONALITY: PSYCHOPATHOLOGY, ASSESSMENT, AND TREATMENT
PART II: TREATMENT IMPLICATIONS
Chapter 5. THE IMPACT OF PERSONALITY ON THE PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT OF DEPRESSION
Chapter 6. CLINICAL STRATEGIES FOR EFFICIENT TREATMENT OF MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER COMPLICATED BY PERSONALITY DISORDER
Chapter 7. REFRACTORY AND CHRONIC DEPRESSION: THE ROLE OF AXIS II DISORDERS IN ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT
Chapter 8. BIPOLAR DISORDER AND PERSONALITY: CONSTRUCTS, FINDINGS, AND CHALLENGES
Chapter 9. EVALUATING THE CONTRIBUTION OF PERSONALITY FACTORS TO DEPRESSED MOOD IN ADOLESCENTS: CONCEPTUAL AND CLINICAL ISSUES
Chapter 10. THE IMPACT OF PERSONALITY DISORDERS ON LATE-LIFE DEPRESSION
INDEX
