We all occasionally get up in the morning in a gloomy mood, feeling down and unfit for dealing with the days difficulties, and we might end up saying "today I feel depressed". Fortunately, we usually are not really depressed. Depression is a specific, albeit widespread, disorder, which involves a person more extensively and at greater length. It is one of the possible pathological "shifts" to which our minds are subject. Sometimes its minor, low-key and apparently negligible; sometimes its serious and - without proper assistance - potentially lethal. Therefore depression can and must be cured. This volume explains the most up-to-date knowledge on this ailment (origins, clinical variants, statistical data) and its most effective remedies (drug treatment and psychotherapy). The many clinical cases illustrated in the text help the reader participate in the authentic experience of depression.

Giovanni Jervis teaches Dynamic Psychology at the "La Sapienza" University of Rome.