Depressive Disorders

The chapter on Depressive Disorders covers major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder (formerly known as dysthymia), MDD with seasonal onset (formerly known as seasonal affective disorder), postnatal depression, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Each illness is laid out in an easy to follow format. Each illness starts with diagnostic criteria, differential diagnoses to look out for, risk factors, and labs to consider when making a diagnosis. It is everything you would need to begin the diagnostic process. Then, each section suggests screening tools to assist you with recording severity level and record progress. The final section then talks about both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment of the disorder. The MDD section also includes nontraditional therapies for treatment-resistant depression.