Spirituality, Therapy, and the Good Life

Is there such a thing as Depressive Personality Disorder? Todd Finnerty believes so.

“Can you think of a person you may have met or treated whose usual mood was gloomy and unhappy, were they critical of themselves and did they brood and tend to worry? Did they tend to be negative and judgmental toward others? Were they pessimistic and prone to feeling guilty or remorseful? Did this person have a Depressive Personality Disorder?”

So begins Todd Finnerty’s thoughtful new book, Depressive Personality Disorder: Understanding Current Trends in Research and Practice which is available for review online.

You can also read Finnerty’s blog here .

A description of his book follows:

“This book answers the question “Does Depressive Personality Disorder exist?” with a concise, readable review of current research. DPD is a valid and clinically useful concept which should be included in DSM-V and ICD-11. DPD was offered as both a diagnosis for further study and an example of a diagnosis that can be made under Personality Disorder NOS in the DSM-IV and DSMIV-TR. The book is intended for professionals, students and anyone else interested in character traits which impact mood. It offers a view of depressive personality disorder supported by current research. Gain a firm background in recent research and theory on DPD and understand its relationship to chronic depression, dysthymic disorder, cognitive vulnerabilities to depression and the Five-Factor Model of Personality.”