Prediction of the course and outcome of depression

Whether defined as a symptom, a syndrome, a single disease, or a ' spectrum' of biopsychosocial manifestations, depression is at present the most common mental disorder in all the urbanizedindustrial societies and its frequency appears to be increasing in the developing countries. Klerman's observation that, after an 'age of anxiety', the world is entering an 'age of melancholy' (Klerman, 1978) has been remarkably borne out by recent epidemiological data which demonstrate trends of increasing incidence and prevalence of depressive illnesses.