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9.7 - Major Depressive Disorder

from 9 - Integrated Neurobiology of Specific Syndromes and Treatments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 November 2023

By
Alexander Kaltenboeck  and
Catherine Harmer
Edited by
Mary-Ellen Lynall ,
Peter B. Jones  and
Stephen M. Stahl
Mary-Ellen Lynall
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Peter B. Jones
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Stephen M. Stahl
Affiliation:
University of California, San Diego
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Summary

Major depression is a debilitating mental health condition that affects many people and causes a great deal of suffering worldwide. Yet, our understanding of its etiology and pathophysiology is still poor. Neuroscientists have studied depressive disorders from different perspectives and have reported a range of abnormalities on different levels of neurobiological description. Based on these findings, various, mutually not necessarily exclusive theories have been put forward to explain the development and maintenance of depressive symptoms. The clinical relevance of these theories and how they relate to each other will have to be the subject of future neuroscientific research on depression.

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Cambridge Textbook of Neuroscience for Psychiatrists , pp. 439 - 448
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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