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The Newcastle Chronic Depression Study

Patient Characteristics and Factors Associated with Chronicity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Jan Scott ,
W. A. Barker  and
D. Eccleston
Jan Scott*
Affiliation:
University Department of Psychiatry, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NEJ 4LP
W. A. Barker
Affiliation:
University Department of Psychiatry, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NEJ 4LP
D. Eccleston
Affiliation:
University Department of Psychiatry, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NEJ 4LP
*
Correspondence
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Abstract

Chronic depression is defined as “symptomatic non-recovery for a period of 2 or more years”. Chronic primary major depressives (n = 24) were compared retrospectively with a control group of primary major depressives (n = 20) who had recovered from their illness episode within 2 years. The former had a significantly higher familial loading for affective disorder and showed an increased incidence of independent undesirable life events during the 6 months prior to and 2 years after the onset of their illness. Female chronic depressives also had a significantly greater number of previous illness episodes and a more frequent history of thyroid dysfunction. Personality as measured on the EPQ, psychiatric problems arising as secondary complications of the depressive illness, and developmental object loss did not differentiate chronic from non-chronic depressives.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 152 , Issue 1 , January 1988 , pp. 28 - 33
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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