Understanding Depression - Contemporary Issues and Dilemmas

Major depression is a very common condition that one out of every six people can suffer, but there is still a lack of information on the causes, progress of the disease and appropriate treatment up to date. The current diagnosis system of depression, DSM-5 is still constructed based on clinical symptoms, so it is hard to get beyond the limit that depression consists of heterogeneous groups with different causes and pathophysiology. To compensate for this, NIMH has been attempting a biological classification based on cause and pathophysiology through Research Domain Criteria, defining depression as a brain circuit disorder and brain disorder, but this is also ineffective in clinical use. 
Pathophysiology of depression is complex and is hypothesized to involve several biological processes, including neurotransmitter dysfunction, neuronal networks alteration, inadequate neuroendocrine stress response and chronic inflammation. Despite recent advances in molecular, genetic and imaging research, the exact pathophysiological mechanisms underlying depression remain elusive.
Exploring biological indicators that predict diagnosis and treatment responses associated with depression has long been attempted, but there are still few biological indicators that can be used in clinical practice. Recently, interest in epigenetics has increased, suggesting that DNA methylation, histone modeling, and microRNA associated with it may be a biological indicator of the diagnosis and treatment of depression. Ketamine, an antimicrobial antagonist for NMDA receptors, is also providing a new turning point for drug treatment for depression as research has shown that it is effective in patients with therapeutic resistance. 
With the advent of the concept of precision medicine and custom treatment, new attempts are being made to develop a treatment model suitable for biosignature of each patient. Given the fact that depression is a heterogeneous group consisting of various causes, and that it represents various symptoms by invading various parts of the brain, establishing a diagnostic system within a homogeneous group, and developing specialized treatments by identifying the causes and pathology of the disease.
The aim of this book is to raise and deal with contemporary issues or current dilemma for depression from the point of view of concept, diagnosis, neurobiology and treatment in depression. The book is divided into four sections, the first of which discusses conceptual and diagnostic issues in major depression, highlighting current criticism and future perspective on DSM-5, biological classification, neural circuit taxonomy. The third section examines important etiological and neurobiological issues, including epigenetics, genetics, HPA axis, neuroimaging, and gut-brain axis. The second considers symptomatic and clinical issue in major depression, including anhedonia, cognition, pain, suicide, obesity and gender difference. A concluding section is devoted to current therapeutic issues in major depression, focusing new antidepressant, psychedelics, neurostimulation, digital therapy, and personalized integrative treatment. 
This book will provide better understanding of clinical-neurobiological underpinnings and development of treatments for depression will be an excellent source of information for both researchers and practitioners in the field.

List of contents

Part I. Conceptual and diagnostic issues.- 1. Current criticism on DSM-5 and future perspective on DSM-6 in major depression.- 2. Diagnostic biomarkers and biogoical classification in major depression.- 3. Neural circuit taxonomy and precision psychiatry in major depression.- 4. Lifelog and Voice Informed Forecast and Detection for diagnosis of major depression.- 5. Differentiation of major depression from bipolar depression.- 6. Rethinking the treatment resistant depression.- 7. Understanding psychotic depression.- Part II. Etiological and neurobiological issues.- 8. Complex role of serotonin-dopamine-glutamate receptors in major depression.- 9. New concept of gene-environment interections and epigenetics in major depression.- 10. Early life stress in HPA axis and MR/GR receptors in the development of major depression.- 11. Molecular, structural and functional neuroimaging in major depression.- 12. Chronic inflammation and neuroprogression in the pathophysiology in major depression.- 13. Understanding the connection between the gut-brain axis and major depression.- 14. Different biological mechanisms and treatments of depressive subtypes.- Part III. Symptomatic and clinical issues.- 15. Reconceptualization of anhedonia as a crucial symptom in major depression.- 16. Chronic pain and major depression: shared psychological and neurobiological mechanism.- 17. Current knowledge of cognitive dimension of major depression.- 18. Suicide behavior as a distinct psychobiology in major depression.- 19. Directional relationship between obesity and major depression.- 20. Gender differences in disease progression in major depression.- 21. Current knowledge of postpartum depression.- 22. Neurobiology and risk factors in late life depression.- Part IV. Therapeutic issues.- 23. New antidepressant development in the treatment of depression.- 24. Chronotherapy in the treatment of major depression.- 25. Psychedelics: future therapeutics in major depression?.- 26. Novel therapeutic strategies for treatment-resistant depression(TRD).- 27. New clinical applications of neurostimulation in major depression.- 28. Promising digital therapeutics in the treatment of major depression.- 29. Novel psychological interventions in the treatment of major depression.- 30. Personalized intergrative treatment in major depression.

About the author

Yong-Ku Kim, MD, PhD is a Professor of Psychiatry at College of Medicine, Korea University. He received a MD degree from College of Medicine, Korea University in 1987 and a PHD in psychiatry from Korea University in 1998. Dr. Kim has been affiliated with Korea University since 1998, first as an assistant professor (1998-2000), then as associated professor (2001-2005), professor (2006- present). For the past 30 years, his professional activities have extended beyond the area of pure clinical or research work. Dr. Kim has well over 350 publications in peer-reviewed international journals, including Biological Psychiatry, Molecular Psychiatry, Clinical Journal of Psychiatry, and Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry and 20 publications of books and have made over 100 academic presentations in my area of interest. Dr. Kim is a fellow of Collogicum Internationale Neuropsychopharmacologicum, International Society for Affective Disorders, World Federation of the Society of biological Psychiatry. He currently sits on the editorial boards of some leading academic journals in the field of neurobiology, including Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, Psychiatry Investigation, World Journal Psychiatry, Annals of Depression and Anxiety, Psychiatry Journal and so on. Dr. Kim received prestigious awards such as Astrageneca Award and Dr. Paul Janssen Schizophrenia Research Award. 

Summary

Major depression is a very common condition that one out of every six people can suffer, but there is still a lack of information on the causes, progress of the disease and appropriate treatment up to date. The current diagnosis system of depression, DSM-5 is still constructed based on clinical symptoms, so it is hard to get beyond the limit that depression consists of heterogeneous groups with different causes and pathophysiology. To compensate for this, NIMH has been attempting a biological classification based on cause and pathophysiology through Research Domain Criteria, defining depression as a brain circuit disorder and brain disorder, but this is also ineffective in clinical use. 
Pathophysiology of depression is complex and is hypothesized to involve several biological processes, including neurotransmitter dysfunction, neuronal networks alteration, inadequate neuroendocrine stress response and chronic inflammation. Despite recent advances in molecular, genetic and imaging research, the exact pathophysiological mechanisms underlying depression remain elusive.
Exploring biological indicators that predict diagnosis and treatment responses associated with depression has long been attempted, but there are still few biological indicators that can be used in clinical practice. Recently, interest in epigenetics has increased, suggesting that DNA methylation, histone modeling, and microRNA associated with it may be a biological indicator of the diagnosis and treatment of depression. Ketamine, an antimicrobial antagonist for NMDA receptors, is also providing a new turning point for drug treatment for depression as research has shown that it is effective in patients with therapeutic resistance. 
With the advent of the concept of precision medicine and custom treatment, new attempts are being made to develop a treatment model suitable for biosignature of each patient. Given the fact that depression is a heterogeneous group consisting of various causes, and that it represents various symptoms by invading various parts of the brain, establishing a diagnostic system within a homogeneous group, and developing specialized treatments by identifying the causes and pathology of the disease.
The aim of this book is to raise and deal with contemporary issues or current dilemma for depression from the point of view of concept, diagnosis, neurobiology and treatment in depression. The book is divided into four sections, the first of which discusses conceptual and diagnostic issues in major depression, highlighting current criticism and future perspective on DSM-5, biological classification, neural circuit taxonomy. The third section examines important etiological and neurobiological issues, including epigenetics, genetics, HPA axis, neuroimaging, and gut-brain axis. The second considers symptomatic and clinical issue in major depression, including anhedonia, cognition, pain, suicide, obesity and gender difference. A concluding section is devoted to current therapeutic issues in major depression, focusing new antidepressant, psychedelics, neurostimulation, digital therapy, and personalized integrative treatment. 
This book will provide better understanding of clinical-neurobiological underpinnings and development of treatments for depression will be an excellent source of information for both researchers and practitioners in the field.

Product details

• Assisted by: Yong-Ku Kim (Editor)
• Publisher: Springer EN
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 06.04.2026
• EAN: 9789819568710
• ISBN: 978-981-9568-71-0
• Illustrations: Approx. 600 p. 100 illus. in color., farbige Illustrationen
• Series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Medicine > Clinical medicine; Depression, Neurologie und klinische Neurophysiologie, Neurowissenschaften, Neurology, Neuroscience, Psychiatry, TRD, Neuroinflammation, NEUROSTIMULATION, Ketamine, digital therapy, antidepressant, Brain-Gut Axis