Cognitive Dimensions of Major Depressive Disorder

Abstract

The lifetime prevalence of 15% for major depressive disorder (MDD) within the general population is among the highest among all mental disorders. MDD is also one of the leading causes of disability and has been estimated to affect 300 million people worldwide. Clinical, functional, and biological correlates of MDD are frequently investigated almost exclusively based on research that defines depression as a categorical disorder assessed by established diagnostic instruments. Given the phenotypic and biological heterogeneity of depression, a refocus of the clinical phenotype of depression is required and widely recommended. Cognitive dimensions of depression have long been implicated in the nature of depression as a disorder that is characterized by typically impaired cognitive and emotional processes. The systems of cognitive function, emotion processing, and social cognitive processing are regarded as comprehensively describing large parts of the clinical symptoms as well as the pathophysiology of the brain-based disorder of depression. The focus on the above cognitive and emotional dimensions of depression offers promising extended and novel diagnostic and treatment approaches ranging from pharmacological to psychological interventions targeting those dimensions of depression. This book aims to provide an improved understanding of the characteristics of the dimensional approach of depression, focusing on the cognitive, emotional, and social cognitive processes.