Depresive Disorders: therapeutic and clinical features
Higueras, A.
Ars Pharm.37;(3);539-547, (1996)
Key words:Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Dysthymia, Epidemiology, Diagnosis, Clinical features, TreatmentAbstract
About one hundred millons people will experience Depression each year out of the world's
total population. The principle symptoms of these disorders can be viwed in the following groupings: 1.-Mood reduction;
2.-Alteration of cognitive funtion; 3.-Alteration of throught content; 4.-Impulse disorders; 5.-Suicidal tendencies and anxiety.
Symptoms and their evolution configure into several diagnostics. In this work we describe three: Major Depression (M.D.), Bipolar disorder (B.D.) and Dysthymia (D.). Here we challenge the standard definition of the term Dysthymia. Rather, we propose: Sudepressive syndrome of long evolution.
There are epidemiologycal diferences betwen the three diagnosis. M.D. are three times more prevalent in women, while B.D. are in practice equal in both sexes: 0,9% of the general population. There are also diferences fron the viewpoint of pharmacological treatment: while 60-70% of the patients with D.M. and B.D. respond favorably, patients with D.
experience bad or no response. We don't know well the pharmacodinamie of antidepressants drugs, so we describe several hypothesis.
Lastly we suggest diferent approachs to helping these patients.
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