In this book we present a conceptually integrated approach to disorders of mood. These disorders are defined narrowly as the clinical syndromes of mania and melancholia. The latter is our particular focus, for the simple reason that it is more common and thus more is known about it. Our approach owes much to Adolf Meyer, who first used the term psychobiology. It was he who emphasized in a practical way the importance of the clinician consider ing the joint contribution of psychosocial and biological factors in the genesis of mental disorders. However, until the 1960s, our relative ignorance of basic mechanisms that link brain and behavior prevented the development of a genuine psychobiological perspective. Thus Meyer's work was concerned largely with teaching the importance of the personal biography and a consideration of social history in the development of mental disorder. We feel that sufficiently rigorous data have now emerged in psychia try to permit tentative but real psychobiological integration. Affective illness is proba bly the most promising area for an attempt at such a synthesis. It is our belief that the theory and clinical practice of psychiatry now can be woven into a coherent theme, integrating insights and evidence generated by the psychodynamic, biological, and behavioral methods; hence in part we review the emerging psychobiology of mood disorders with the hope that it can serve as a generic paradigm for other psychiatric syndromes."

Current evidence indicates that over two-thirds of mood disorders pursue a recurrent or chronic course. Yet much of the progress recorded in the field of mood disorders and their treatment has been in research into the acute phase of the illness. Hence there is a need for a volume that specifically addresses the special clinical problems encountered inthe recurrent forms of these disorders. The various chapters of this book embrace a wide range of topics, including etiology, course, and long-term treatment, integrative reviews, results of recent investigations, and clinical reports. In this respect, the contributions reflect currentconcepts, research, and clinical practice. We have endeavored to build a bridge between neurobiology and psychology and have covered both the psychotherapeutic and the psychopharmacologic aspects of mood disorders.

Many clinicians and researchers are convinced that there is an overlap between affective and schizophrenic spectra. In this book, an international team of experts discuss aspects of comorbidity, genetic models, clinical course, phenomenology and therapies. This is the first comprehensive overview of the schizoaffective spectra. Challenging cases presenting clinical and paraclinical features of both spectra are surprisingly numerous. Not only the phenomenology but also the course, outcome and treatment of such cases have their own characteristics. Recent research shows that the overlap also involves genetics and biological processes related to psychotic disorders. Within the overlap of affective and schizophrenic spectra it is possible to identify some groups of disorders having similar clinical and non-clinical features: the 'schizoaffective' group, 'Acute and Transient Psychotic Disorder' or 'Brief Psychosis', and other groups found in so-called 'Atypical Forms'.

Many clinicians and researchers are convinced that there is an overlap between affective and schizophrenic spectra. In this book, an international team of experts discuss aspects of comorbidity, genetic models, clinical course, phenomenology and therapies. This is the first comprehensive overview of the schizoaffective spectra. Challenging cases presenting clinical and paraclinical features of both spectra are surprisingly numerous. Not only the phenomenology but also the course, outcome and treatment of such cases have their own characteristics. Recent research shows that the overlap also involves genetics and biological processes related to psychotic disorders. Within the overlap of affective and schizophrenic spectra it is possible to identify some groups of disorders having similar clinical and non-clinical features: the 'schizoaffective' group, 'Acute and Transient Psychotic Disorder' or 'Brief Psychosis', and other groups found in so-called 'Atypical Forms'.