Depression remained a manageable group of diseases for a considerable period, but today the diagnosis represents an endemic condition and encompasses a whole range of depressive-affective disorders. Due to the high demand for care, a variety of outpatient services, as well as special depression wards in many hospitals, have been developed at the authors= initiative to allow disorder-specific treatment of patients with severe depression. Against the background of the authors= decades of experience concentrating on patients with depression, this book shows the diversity of this clinical picture and of treatments for it & beyond the boundaries of ICD stereotypes & in a professional and scientific manner and with personal points of view, including social aspects and contemporary attitudes.

Prof. Dr. med. Dr. h. c. Manfred Wolfersdorf ist Facharzt für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie sowie Facharzt für Psychosomatische Medizin und Psychotherapie und Gründer der ersten Depressionsstation in Deutschland. Prof. Dr. med. Gerd Laux ist Facharzt für Psychiatrie, Psychotherapie und Neurologie, Dipl.-Psychologe und u. a. federführender Herausgeber der Fachzeitschrift Psychopharmakotherapie. Beide Autoren waren langjährige Ärztl. Direktoren und Chefärzte von Kliniken für Psychiatrie, Psychotherapie und Psychosomatik.

Leseprobe