[Reflections on the psychobiology of depression]

Our present understanding of the disorder "depression" undergoes a changing process. Together with the appearance of empirical studies on epidemiology, genetics and therapy, the hypothesis of "endogenous" depression has vanished. The search for "markers" has been replaced by a growing interest for functional connections, thereby generating a variety of possible etiological factors instead of the "depressogenic" synapse. Therapy has been revolutionized by the invention and the empirical proof of new, short-term psychotherapies. However, the lack of a theoretical basis warrants its development as a major endeavor for future research.