title: [Müller-Hegemann's classification of depressions of 1964 as a proposal for a conceptualization of affective disorders: A critical review].
abstract: Against the background of current discussions on the classification of psychiatric disorders, this study analyses and discusses the East-German psychiatrist Dietfried Müller-Hegemann's concept of a clinical classification of depressions of 1964.In his paper, Müller-Hegemann differentiated between two main forms of depression, namely the "vitally tinged depression" (= melancholy), found mainly in the depressive phases of the manic-depressive disorder, and the "depressive disgruntlement" (= dysthymia) seen in "reactive and neurotic depression", "involutional depression", and in the depressive states in psychopathic personalities. Due to a lack of sufficient biological evidence, Müller-Hegemann refrained from a purely etiological differentiation.His proposal is significant in so far as it provided a classification that could easily be used in clinical practice, and at the same time, by pointing to the traditional concept of melancholy and by calling for a differentiated psychopathology, anticipated aspects of topical interest.
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Fachkrankenhaus Hubertusburg, Wermsdorf.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Universität Leipzig, Archiv für Leipziger Psychiatriegeschichte, Leipzig.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Steinberg
mesh_terms: D002965:Classification; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000145:classification* / Q000266:history* / Q000523:psychology; D005859:Germany, East; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000145:classification* / Q000266:history* / Q000523:psychology; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000266:history*