ABSTRACT
Clinical depression or major depressive disorder is the medical term used to refer to the disease ‘depression’. While a common disorder in the general community, and not surprisingly more prevalent in the sick, depression has assumed over recent decades greater familiarity. The relationship between cancer and depression may be bidirectional. Depression can be an early or occult symptom of a malignancy, and is a common complication of cancer. The symptoms of depression are affective, cognitive and somatic. Depression is best conceptualised as a spectrum disorder, the symptoms ranging from mild to very severe. A correct diagnosis of major depression allows one of the most confident estimations of response to treatment known to medicine. From the clinical perspective a crucial decision is whether/not to introduce biological interventions. A psychological intervention is mandatory, whereas physical treatment interventions should be reserved for moderate and severe depression. Initially psycho-education about depressive disorders is necessary, and indeed this process is really the introduction of psychotherapy.
