The Oxford Handbook of Molecular Psychology
DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199753888.013.28
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In molecular psychology, the tools of molecular biology and genomics are applied to study and better understand behavior. In this chapter, the author applies this approach to present a novel perspective on major depressive disorder (MDD). The treatment approach for MDD has not changed much in half a century, and—in general—today’s treatments are not more effective than earlier ones. The author suggests a new approach, one that conceptualizes MDD as an infectious disease. The author presents a set of four clues that are consistent with such a claim and lays out a molecular approach to how a search for a disease-causing agent could be conducted.