ABSTRACT
Offi cial guides say that to be classifi ed as a sufferer of depression you have to be feeling a number of things for
a period of a few weeks. But in truth, it’s much more than that.
I was diagnosed with clinical depression when I was in Year 9. I’ve never really spoken about my experiences openly before and even fi nd it diffi cult to communicate
with my parents sometimes. But let me tell you this: depression affects more than just your mood. I may not
know too many facts and statistics about depression, but I do know that I would not have come as far as I have
come now without the help of my family, friends and the various doctors I have consulted. Sam
In this chapter, we will look at the idea that different types of mood disorders benefi t from differing approaches-as they have differing causes. Our Institute publications for professionals have considered treatment approaches in some detail-for both the depressive (Parker and Manicavasagar 2005)1 and bipolar conditions (Parker 2008)2-so we will provide only a brief overview here.
