It is not a simple or unitary disorder. It may appear as the high of mania, the nagging low of dysthymia, as seasonal blues or suicidal thoughts; it may be disguised as or occur along with other physical or mental disorders.

Taming the Tyrant guides clinicians in diagnosing, understanding, and treating the full spectrum of depressive disorders. An indispensable reference in today's time-restricted managed care environment, it is designed to reduce trial-and-error by enabling clinicians to identify each depressive disorder sooner and to respond with the treatments most likely to prove effective for that disorder.

Dr. Schuyler teams 25 years of clinical experience in psychiatry with an intelligent analysis of the newest developments in research to explain the biological, affective, cognitive, and behavioral mechanisms of depression. He describes depression's many and varied presentations, then details not only the hows but also the whys of the expanding pharmacological treatment options, as well as treatment through convulsive therapy or cognitive therapy.

A full chapter is devoted to managing the suicidal patient-an all-too-common yet increasingly problematic issue in light of the decreased access to inpatient treatment. Special attention is also given to treating depression in the elderly, a need that is growing as quickly as the population of older Americans. Dr. Schuyler discusses prescribing medication safely, caring for the bereaved, and recognizing depression's often unique presentation in this age group.

Besides giving a thorough presentation of the familiar depressive disorders such as dysthymia, the unipolar and bipolar depressions, and resistant depression, Taming the Tyrant explains other, less familiar depressive illnesses: chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, olfactory reference syndrome, and body dysmorphic disorder. This is the comprehensive modern reference for treating depressed adults.