Cognitive Dimensions of Major Depressive Disorder

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a clinically and neurobiologically highly heterogenous mood disorder that consists of a variety of symptom clusters including mood symptoms, physical symptoms, and cognitive symptoms. While the traditional model of depression implicates mood as the primary symptom cluster, a more recently published conceptual understanding of depression has extended to also include cognitive symptoms. Moreover, the understanding of the central role of cognitive processes in emotion processing, social interaction, and pure cognitive performance has led to a model suggestion that places cognitive processing central to the pathophysiology of depression.

Cognitive dimensions of depression have long been implicated in the nature of depression that are characterised typically by impaired cognitive and emotional processes. In the following volume the dimensions of cognitive function, emotion processing, and social cognitive processing are highlighted to comprehensively describe large parts of the clinical symptoms as well as the pathophysiology and biology of the brain-based disorder of depression. The focus on the above cognitive and emotional dimensions of depression offers extended and novel diagnostic and treatment approaches ranging from pharmacological to psychological interventions targeting those dimensions of depression.

This volume informs about some of the more fundamental psychological, biological and clinical concepts that are applicable to the comprehensive treatment of depression and is suitable for students, trainees, clinicians and scientists in the fields of psychology, neuropsychology, psychiatry, cognitive neuroscience, neurology, general medicine / general practice and other health care professionals as it will also cover core knowledge and skills for training as well as practice.

Bernhard T. Baune, Department of Mental Health Director, Lab Division of Molecular Neurobiology of Mental Health University of Münster GERMANY

Prof. Bernhard T. Baune (PhD, MD, MPH, MBA, FRANZCP) is the Head of the Department of Mental Health and the Director of the Laboratory Division of Molecular Neurobiology of Mental Health at the University of Münster, Münster, Germany. Previously, Bernhard T. Baune has been the Cato Chair and Head of Department of Psychiatry at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Prof. Baune is a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrist (FRANZCP). His research in Psychiatry is nationally and internationally widely recognised and he has published more than 590 peer-reviewed articles, reviews and book chapters.