Outcome of affective psychosis

The outcome of delusional depression is generally considered as poor when compared to non-delusional depression. We examined the social adjustment of remitted subjects affected by delusional compared to non-delusional mood disorder. Social adjustment of 135 inpatients (81 delusional and 54 non-delusional subjects), in remission from mood disorders for at least 3 months, were compared using the Social Adjustment Scale [SAS, Weissman et al., 1971]. Social adjustment was marginally lower for delusional subjects. The difference was significant within the "Family" sub-area of the SAS. Stratification by gender or polarity was precluded by the small sample size. These results furnish evidence of poor inter-episode function in patients with delusional mood disorder.