Depression is a commonly used and terribly misunderstood term. When mental health professionals refer to depression, they are referring to a syndrome – a constellation of symptoms that persists every day for two weeks or longer. Patients may feel blue, hopeless and "down in the dumps." They also may complain of fatigue, sleep disturbances, changes in appetite and decreased concentration. Think about the saddest you’ve ever felt and feeling like that every day for no obvious reason – this is a good description of major depression.<\/p>\n
In the past two decades, we have learned much about the causes of depression. We now know from brain imaging studies that depression, like Parkinson’s disease and stroke, is a brain disease.<\/font><\/strong> In addition, depression can run in families.<\/p>\n Depression can be effectively treated by antidepressant medications — such as Prozac, Effexor, Zoloft, Lexapro and others — and\/or certain forms of psychotherapy [cognitive-behavior therapy and others]. Patients who fail to respond to one antidepressant often respond to another. Those who do not respond to antidepressants or psychotherapy treatments can receive other approved and effective treatments, including repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation [rTMS] or electroconvulsive therapy [ECT].<\/p>\n While the category Major Depressive Disorder<\/font><\/em> is probably a heterogeneous collection rather than a discrete syndrome, there’s one thing for sure – we don’t now know<\/font><\/strong> that Major Depressive Disorder<\/font><\/em> or any subset of that collection is a brain disease by neuroimaging<\/font><\/strong>. It’s hardly possible that Dr. Nemeroff doesn’t know that, meaning that his mis·statement is not a mistake. It’s a conscious exaggeration at best, but more likely simply a calculated lie – something he wants to be true to fit an agenda. It’s hardly his first.<\/p>\n We know at least one part of why?<\/font><\/em><\/strong> [why he does it]. He has made a series of such deliberate mis·statements since he appeared on the stage in the early 1990s, and the motive has usually been financial reward for himself personally and for the companies he advises, though sometimes it’s to argue for some pet theory [see business as usual…<\/a>]. The why?<\/font><\/em><\/strong> I don’t know is why the academic psychiatric community, or the Miami Herald puts up with such antics. Yet he’s the chairman of a psychiatry department, holder of an NIMH Grant, gets invited here and there to give talks with conclusions <\/strike> speculations like this … <\/p>\n![](\"http:\/\/1boringoldman.com\/images\/nemeroff-nyu-1.jpg\")
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