ABSTRACT
Despite 35 years of focused attention on detection and treatment, depression in its various forms continues to plague our society. In 1996, the World Health Organization, Harvard School of Public Health, and the World Bank ranked depression as the fourth leading cause of disease burden worldwide. By the year 2020, depression is projected to be the second leading cause of disease burden for both men and women, behind only ischemic heart disease. Unipolar depression was already identified in 1990 as the leading cause of disability in the world (Murray & Lopez, 1996).
