ABSTRACT
Mood disorders are disabling and common conditions. The lifetime prevalence of major depression (major depressive disorder, MDD) and bipolar disorder together is approximately 21% (Kessler, Berglund, Demler, Jin, & Walters, 2005). The negative impact of mood disorders on functional, emotional, occupational, and social functioning is even greater than many debilitating physical disorders (Kessler & Frank, 1997; Mintz, Mintz, Arruda, & Hwang, 1992; Wells et al., 1989), and the economic burden of depression is also excessive with estimates as high as $83.1 billion per year (Greenberg et al., 2003). Depression is the highest predictor of suicide in adults aged 30 to 65 years (Maris, 1992). Because information technology efforts have been directed to date almost completely on MDD, the focus of this chapter is primarily on this form of mood disorder.
