Recovery from depression: a two-year follow-up study of general population subjects

The recovery from depression and factors associated with it are not well known in the general population.

To conduct a two-year follow-up of general population subjects and investigate their recovery from depression.

Individuals who were assessed as suffering from depression on the basis of Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores were monitored for two years.

Sixty-five per cent were still depressed after two years of follow-up. Negative life events had occurred more often in those who had remained depressed than in the others. Logistic regression analysis revealed that a high initial BDI score and a worsening of a subject's economic situation during the follow-up period were associated with failure to recover. Lack of use of health services was associated with non-recovery.

Depression may be more chronic in the general population than previously has been thought.