Scott Monroe
Professor Emeritus
Research and teaching interests
Monroe seeks to understand why some people who become clinically depressed for the first time have repeated recurrences over the rest of their lives, whereas others – quite likely the majority – have only one lifetime episode. Historically, these two distinct subsets of the depressed population have not been well-recognized, and their implications for understanding the nature of major depression as currently conceived under-appreciated. An understanding of the similarities and differences between the two subgroups, at the time of first onset, could provide insights for preventing recurrences in major depression, mitigating the consequences of the disorder for those who suffer repeatedly and enduringly from the condition. More generally, such advances might lessen the tremendous personal and public health burdens of one of the world’s most disabling health conditions. Monroe actively pursues these matters in semi-retirement.
Education
Ph.D., State University of New York at Buffalo
Representative Publications
Monroe, S. M., & Harkness, K. L. (2023). Why recurrent depression should be reconceptualized and redefined. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 32(3), 204-211.
Monroe, S. M., & Harkness, K. L. (2022). Major depression and its recurrences: Life course matters. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 18, 329-357. Palo Alto, CA: Annual Reviews.
Ormel, J., Hollon, S. D., Kessler, R. C., Cuijpers, P., & Monroe, S. M. (2022). More treatment but no less depression: The Treatment-Prevalence Paradox. Clinical Psychology Review, 91, 10211.
Monroe, S. M., Harkness, K. L., & Anderson, S. F. (2019). Life stress and major depression: The mysteries of recurrences. Psychological Review, 126. 791-816.
Anderson, S. F., Monroe, S. M., Rohde, P., & Lewinsohn, P. M. (2016). Questioning kindling: An analysis of cycle acceleration in unipolar depression. Clinical Psychological Science, 4, 229-238.
Monroe, S.M., & Anderson, S. F. (2015). Depression: The shroud of heterogeneity. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 24, 227-231.
Monroe, S. M., & Harkness, K. L. (2011). Recurrence in major depression: A conceptual analysis. Psychological Review, 118, 655-674.
Monroe, S. M. (2008). Modern approaches to conceptualizing and measuring life stress. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 4, 33-52.
Monroe, S. M., & Reid, M. W. (2008). Gene-environment interactions in depression: Genetic polymorphisms and life stress polyprocedures. Psychological Science, 19, 947-956.
Monroe, S. M., & Harkness, K. L. (2005). Life stress, the ‘kindling’ hypothesis, and the recurrence of depression: Considerations from a life stress perspective. Psychological Review, 112, 417-445.
Monroe, S. M., & Simons, A. D. (1991). Diathesis-stress theories in the context of life stress research: Implications for the depressive disorders. Psychological Bulletin, 110, 406-425.