Suicide and Depression in the United States

Abstract

Depression and suicide in the United States over the past decade are reviewed in terms of (1) classification, (2) epidemiology, (3) theories, (4) tests, (5) biochemical aspects, and (6) treatment. Advances in each area have focused on (1) classification by clinical descriptive features, (2) recognition of the great overlap in the two conditions, (3) psychoanalytic and cognitive theories, (4) refinement of tests of depression, (5) exploration of the role of biogenic amines, and (6) chemical, psychological, or combination treatment approaches.