Description
Book SynopsisFull of information compassionately presented, this guide provides hope and help to patients and their families.
Trade ReviewA readable, informative, comforting overview of an illness most people consider scary. Library Journal A clearly written, comprehensive, and compassionate guide. Science Books and Films If it seems a gloomy thought to explore the workings of mental doldrums, psychiatrist Mondimore makes this a safe trip, explaining in simple language how depression and manic-depression take effect and what victims can do about it. Publishers Weekly A recommended pick for both public and college-level libraries. Bookwatch 2007 This is a reader friendly book on depression and mood disorders written primarily for patients and their families. It explains scientific and clinical facts at a patient level helping the patient get a better bearing on the nature of depression. Doody's Review Service 2007 There are many books about depression currently available. What makes this one so special is its sheer comprehensiveness within a two hundred page limit... to be recommended to sufferers and professionals in the mental health field. -- Kevin M. Purday Metapsychology 2008 Depression, the Mood Disease is a recommended pick for both public and college-level libraries. Midwest Book Review 2007
Table of ContentsPreface
Introduction
Part I: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment
1. Mood
Mood: What Is It?
The Chemistry of Mood
An Early Breakthrough in Brain Science
Mood Disorders
What Is the Biology of Depression?
2. Depression
The Symptoms of Major Depression
"Normal" Depression?
The Classification of Depression
3. Treatment
Medications
Electroconvulsive Therapy
Other Brain Stimulation Techniques
Complicated Depression
Tests for Mood Disorders
4. Bipolar Disorder
What Is Bipolar Disorder?
The Hypomanic Syndrome
Another Duality
"Mood Swings" and Cyclothymia
Is There a Spectrum of Mood Disorders?
The Chemistry of Bipolar Disorder
The Treatment of Bipolar Disorder
Length of Treatment in Bipolar Disorders
Treating "Soft" Bipolar Disorders
Part II: Variations, Causes, and Connections
5. Variations of the Mood Disorders
Major Depression in the Elderly
Mood Disorders in Children and Adolescents
Mood Disorders in Women
Depression and Stroke
Depression and Pain
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Schizoaffective Disorder
Panic Attacks and Mood Disorders
6. Causal Factors and Associations
The Heredity of Mood Disorders
Alcohol and Drug Abuse and Mood Disorders
Medical Causes of Mood Disorders
Sleep and Depression
Part III: Getting Better
7. Advice for Patients with Mood Disorders and Their Families
Who Can Help? The Mental Health Professionals
Living with a Mood Disorder
Community Support and National Organizations
The Family
How to Help with Depression
8. Summing Up and Looking Ahead
Further Reading
Support and Advocacy Organizations
Index
