[Analysis of precipitating factors in a sample of patients hospitalized for endogenous depression]

The purpose of this paper has been to assess the relationship between depression and a number of current areas of social and somatic stress. The sample consisted of 143 consecutive depressed in patients. Our findings indicate that precipitating events were present in 41.2% of the overall depressive episodes. Late onset patients had more events than early onset probands. The number of precipitating factors was higher in the first depressive episode and relapses seemed to occur more independently from unfavourable environmental conditions. The presence of such events however had no relationship to sex, age and social class.