Recurrent Mood Disorders New Perspectives in Therapy

Current evidence indicates that over two-thirds of mood disorders pursue a recurrent or chronic course. Yet much of the progress recorded in the field of mood disorders and their treatment has been in research into the acute phase of the illness. Hence there is a need for a volume that specifically addresses the special clinical problems encountered inthe recurrent forms of these disorders. The various chapters of this book embrace a wide range of topics, including etiology, course, and long-term treatment, integrative reviews, results of recent investigations, and clinical reports. In this respect, the contributions reflect currentconcepts, research, and clinical practice. We have endeavored to build a bridge between neurobiology and psychology and have covered both the psychotherapeutic and the psychopharmacologic aspects of mood disorders.

Etiologic Aspects.- Toward a Psychobiology of Affective Recurrences: Interaction of Biological and Psychological Factors.- New Genetic Findings in Recurrent Mood Disorders.- Recent Findings on Thyroid Function in Depression.- Cognitive Aspects of Depression: An Experimental Study.- Variability of Cognitive Patterns in Subjects with Mood Disorder.- Personality and Depression.- Aggressive Behaviour and Hostility in Depression: Clinical Aspects.- Course and Outcome.- Course as Classifier for Depression.- Course and Outcome: Definitional Dilemmas.- Bipolar Disorders in Prepubertal Children.- Bipolar Disorder in Adolescence.- Diagnosis, Clinical Assessment, and Treatment of Late-Life Depression.- Recurrent Major Depression: Catamnestic Evaluation of Inpatients.- Psychotic Mixed State: Clinical-Anamnestic and Familial Comparisons with Nonpsychotic Mixed, Psychotic Manic, and Schizoaffective Disorders.- Heterogeneity of Course and Outcome in Subjects with a Cross-Sectional Diagnosis of Schizoaffective Disorder.- Old and New Treatments and Prophylaxis.- Testing Efficacy and Safety of Long-Term Treatment in Manic-Depressive Illness: Past and Present Problems.- The Prophylaxis of Unipolar Depression.- Maintenance Therapies in Recurrent Depression: Psychotherapy and Combined Treatment.- Lithium Treatment: Relationship Between Relapses and Personality Disorders.- Effects of Lithium on Information Processing: Evidence from Partial Responders and Nonresponders.- Chronic Lithium Salt Treatment and Calcium Metabolism.- Amiloride and Severe Lithium-Induced Nephrogenic Diabetes Insipidus.- New Pharmacological Aspects of Rubidium Salts.- Rubidium — 20 Years On.- Biochemical and Physiological Guidelines for Long-Term Rubidium Therapy.- Rubidium Shows Different Effects from Lithium onPhosphatidylinositol Metabolism in a Cell Line of Human Neuroblastoma.- Influences of Rubidium and Lithium on Cyclic AMP Formation in Rat Brain.- Electrolytes, Renal Function, and Rubidium Chloride Therapy Side Effects.- Antidepressive Action of Rubidium.- Treatment of Depressive Disorders with Rubidium Chloride.- Clinical Investigations on the Efficacy and Tolerability of Rubidium Chloride.- Rubidium Chloride in Recurrent Depression: Clinical and Biological Correlates.- Rubidium Chloride in Chronic Mood Disorders.- Rubidium Chloride Versus Imipramine: A Double-Blind Study.- Psychotherapeutic Problems in Chronic and Resistant Depressions.- Bright Light Treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder and Nonseasonal Bipolar and Unipolar Affective Syndromes.