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Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Association Between Sleep Quality and Cognitive Symptoms in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder
Published on: April 26, 2024
Prodromal stage of major depression
Giovanni A Fava1, Eliana Tossani
1Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy. giovanniandrea.fava@unibo.it
Aim:
The aim of this review was to survey the available literature on prodromal symptoms of unipolar major depression.
Methods:
Both a computerized (Medline) and a manual search of the literature were performed.
Results:
In a substantial proportion of patients with depression a prodromal phase can be identified. There is a relationship between residual and prodromal symptomatology (the rollback phenomenon).
Conclusions:
Appraisal of prodromal phase of major depression has important implications as to pathophysiological models of disease and relapse prevention. It may allow a staging system of depressive illness that may yield more enduring results in the therapeutic efforts.
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