¶ … chronic major depression. Subtypes of chronic major depression are discussed, along with treatment options.

The article is a literary review, providing an overview of the types of chronic depression. A summary of research helps outline the different subtypes of chronic major depression, offering broad insight into symptoms, treatment options, and indicated therapies.

N/A (not a research article)

The author sites seven references in this brief overview of chronic major depression. The earliest cited study was from 2003, with the most recent research being from 2009. The author does not go into much detail about the individual studies or their methodologies. However, the studies that are directly cited examined the efficacy of treatment interventions. In one study, the independent variables included two different types of antidepressants as well as two experimental conditions, women who were still menstruating vs. women who were menopausal. The dependent variable was depression-related symptoms. In another study, testosterone injection was the independent variable, and depression symptoms are the dependent variable. Thus, most of the research cited in this literature review address the efficacy of treatment interventions on alleviating the symptoms of major chronic depression.

5. The authors found that while antidepressants were "effective" in treating the symptoms of chronic major depression, "no particular drug was better than another," (p. 2). The main conclusion drawn from the review of literature was that patient outcomes improve when patients are more involved in the selection of their intervention. Asking patients what they want out of treatment is crucial.

6. The article, although brief, illuminates recent research into the treatment of major chronic depression. Research articles sometimes present treatment interventions in a fragmented way, isolating one or two variables. This article allows psychologists to understand which interventions are the most effective and in which patient populations. This information is of great help to both clinical and counseling psychologists.

Reference

Harvard Medical School (2009). Managing chronic depression. Harvard Mental Health Letter 26(6).