Understanding Depression by Yong-Ku Kim

Understanding Depression by Yong-Ku Kim

This book focuses on contemporary issues and dilemmas in relation to depression. The aim of the book is equip readers with an up-to-date understanding of the clinical and neurobiological underpinning of depression, the clinical manifestations, and the development of more effective treatments.

The book is divided into four sections, the first of which discusses conceptual and diagnostic issues in major depression, highlighting current criticism and future perspective on DSM-5, biological classification, neural circuit taxonomy. The Second section considers symptomatic and clinical issue in major depression, including anhedonia, cognition, pain, suicide, obesity and gender difference. The Third examines important etiological and neurobiological issues, including epigenetics, genetics, HPA axis, neuroimaging, and gut-brain axis. A concluding section is devoted to current therapeutic issues in major depression, focusing new antidepressant, psychedelics, neurostimulation, digital therapy, and personalized integrative treatment.

Understanding Depression is an indispensable resource for psychiatrists, neurologists, pharmacologists, medical researchers and graduate students engaged in affective neuroscience and clinical psychiatry.

Yong-Ku Kim, MD, PhD is a Professor of Psychiatry at College of Medicine, Korea University. He received a MD degree from College of Medicine, Korea University in 1987 and a PHD in psychiatry from Korea University in 1998. Dr. Kim has been affiliated with Korea University since 1998, first as an assistant professor (1998-2000), then as associated professor (2001-2005), professor (2006- present). For the past 30 years, his professional activities have extended beyond the area of pure clinical or research work. Dr. Kim has well over 350 publications in peer-reviewed international journals, including Biological Psychiatry, Molecular Psychiatry, Clinical Journal of Psychiatry, and Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry and 20 publications of books and have made over 100 academic presentations in my area of interest. Dr. Kim is a fellow of Collogicum Internationale Neuropsychopharmacologicum, International Society for Affective Disorders, World Federation of the Society of biological Psychiatry. He currently sits on the editorial boards of some leading academic journals in the field of neurobiology, including Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, Psychiatry Investigation, World Journal Psychiatry, Annals of Depression and Anxiety, Psychiatry Journal and so on. Dr. Kim received prestigious awards such as Astrageneca Award and Dr. Paul Janssen Schizophrenia Research Award.