Depression and personality: conceptual and clinical challenges: Edited by Michael Rosenbluth, Sidney H. Kennedy & R. Michael Bagby. American Psychiatric Publishing. 2005. 338 pp. US$39.95 (pb). ISBN 1585621544

Although it is tempting to think that the problem of chronic depression could be solved by government initiatives, for example through increased provision of cognitive–behavioural therapy services, this helpful and highly readable collection of ideas and treatment strategies from well-respected psychiatrists and psychologists based in Canada and the USA provides a useful assessment of the likely challenges. A highlight is the impressive consideration of the relationship between personality and bipolar disorder, which reviews research evidence carefully and draws balanced conclusions; particularly on whether borderline personality disorder can be regarded as a form of mood disorder, while acknowledging this ‘may not be settled by scientific data alone’. Similarly, the thoughtful summary of sometimes conflicting findings from long-term studies of the relationships between personality dimensions and depression provides a further example of the virtues of an expert narrative review. An additional strength is the opening account of the development of concepts of personality, the effects of culture on symptom expression and diagnosis, and the interaction between temperamental bias and social experience