Inflationary tendencies in judging the yield of depression research.
The mood around mood disorders is one of optimism. Progress in diagnosis and treatment is generally felt to be considerable. Zeitgeist rests on convictions. In this case the main supporting convictions are the following: depression is a very frequent disorder and its diagnosis has improved greatly; we dispose of more or less specific agents to control depression: biological psychiatric research made great strides, particularly in the field of affective disorders; new antidepressants are properly tested before being clinically introduced. Each of these convictions is critically analysed. It is concluded that each of these claims is either a half-truth or not true. Apparently reality awareness and reality testing are out of balance. This harms the prospects of research, particularly biological research. Ways to avoid the stalemate are discussed.
van Praag
H M
HM
Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, European Graduate School for Neuroscience, Maastricht University, The Netherlands.
D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D009484:Neuropsychology / Q000639:trends; D011639:Public Opinion; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000928:Antidepressive Agents