Depressions Plural: Pathology and the Challenge of Values

Depression is amorphous. It defies easy generalization and eludes medical and legal categories. Is it part of the self or its predator? Can a sufferer be held responsible for his or her actions? Law has traditionally not dealt well with these complexities. Drawing upon a wide range of themes and expertise, this volume looks at depression from four viewpoints: that of the sufferer, the clinician, the ethicist, and the lawyer. Topics include the cultural history of depression, demography, aetiology, epidemiology and diagnosis, the autonomy debate, criminal responsibility, public health law, depression in the workplace, depression in children, adolescents and the physically ill and dying, and assisted suicide. First-hand accounts from sufferers are followed by contributions from clinicians who say what depression is, outline the demography and the therapeutic options, and indicate the legal and ethical problems that trouble them the most. Parts III and IV explore legal and ethical questions in depth.