title: Understanding depression in palliative and end-of-life care.
abstract: Depression in patients receiving palliative and end-of-life care is difficult to distinguish from grief and sadness. However, there are some important distinctions and it is a clinical condition that is treatable and should not be considered a necessary or normal part of the dying process. This article examines the nature of depression and describes the stress vulnerability model of depression, linking it to recent developments in the neurobiology of depression. It also discusses how to distinguish depression from other symptoms that patients may be experiencing.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nursing, University of Bradford. v.taylor1@bradford.ac.uk
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ashelford
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D001689:Biological Psychiatry; D019336:Cognitive Science; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D011574:Psychoanalytic Theory; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology