Melancholia: A Disorder of Movement and Mood
A Phenomenological and Neurobiological Review

Describes the development of a new approach to the diagnosis and pathogenesis of melancholic depression.

Gordon Parker (Edited by), Dusan Hadzi-Pavlovic (Edited by)

9780521472753, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 29 March 1996

356 pages, 9 b/w illus. 15 tables
23.7 x 15.7 x 2.3 cm, 0.634 kg

'This is an important book. It's exceptionally well written.' Conor Duggan

It has long been accepted that depressive disorders comprise a biologically-based type, the so-called 'endogenous' or 'melancholic' depression, and a residual set of depressive conditions resulting from social factors. The difficulty has been in distinguishing the melancholic type of depression on the basis of clinical features. This book describes the development of a behavioral sign-based approach, the CORE system, and demonstrates its superiority to previous symptom-based diagnostic systems for depression. The authors suggest that the psychomotor signs elicited may indicate the likely pathogenesis of melancholic depression, involving the basal ganglia and connections to the frontal cortex. This is therefore a challenging new account of the classification and neurobiology of depression, that is certain to interest all clinicians involved in the evaluation or treatment of such patients. The CORE measure itself is incorporated as an appendix.

Introduction
Classification and research: Historical and theoretical aspects
1. Issues in classification: Part I. Some Historical Aspects: 2. Issues in classification: Part II. Classifying Melancholia: 3. Issues in classification
Part III. Utilizing Behavioral Constructs in Melancholia Research: 4. Issues in classification: Part IV. Some Statistical Aspects: Development and Validation of a Measure of Psychomotor Retardation as a Marker of Melancholia: 5. Psychomotor change as a feature of depressive disorders: historical overview and current assessment strategies
6. Development and structure of the CORE system
7. Reliability of the CORE measure
8. Validity of the CORE: Part I. A Neuroendocrinological Strategy: 9. Validity of the CORE: Part II. Neuropsychological Tests: 10. Validity of the CORE
Part III. Outcome and Treatment Prediction: 11. Phenotypic expression of melancholia contrasted for those with bipolar and unipolar illness courses
12. Psychotic depression: clinical definition, status and the relevance of psychomotor disturbance to its definition
13. A clinical algorithm for defining melancholia: comparison with other sub-typing measures
14. Rating the CORE: a user's guide
The Neurobiology of Melancholia: 15. Melancholia as a neurological disorder
16. Melancholia and the aging brain
17. Magnetic resonance imaging in primary and secondary depression
18. Functional neuroimaging in affective disorders
19. Summary and conclusions
Appendix
The CORE measure: procedural recommendations and rating guidelines
Bibliography.

Subject Areas: Psychiatry [MMH]