Depression and dysthymia.

The advances made in the 1980s and 1990s have yielded many advances in the diagnosis and treatment of depression and dysthymia. Skill of the clinician is important in sorting out the diagnosis, taking care to consider the various medical conditions that can cause depression or disguise themselves as depression. Depressive disorders are highly treatable conditions. Clinicians must overcome the stigma associated with these disorders to alleviate the pain and suffering of those afflicted. The advances in treatment have been enormous and continue to grow. The keys to these treatments lie in continuing to acquire the knowledge to unlock all of the causes of depression. An appendix follows listing medications commonly used in the treatment of depression or for other conditions in patients under treatment for depression.