Introduction to 'Depression in a biopsychosocioeconomic context'

摘要

The theme of Chapter 35 is the change in the concept of depression that has occurred during the last 30 years, since the introduction of the operational criteria for "major depression," and possible factors contributing to that change. The prevalence of depression has increased dramatically in the developed countries and a substantial, perhaps alarmingly high, percentage of the population in these countries is today treated with antidepressants, especially with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor drugs. These changes are debated both within and outside psychiatry and are of substantial societal interest.