Natural history of chronic depression: predictors of change in severity over time

In a prospective study of patients with chronic depression, none of a series of variables reported to be predictive of outcome in episodic depression emerged as significant predictors of change in depression scores over time. It is concluded that either greater changes in depression severity than those observed may be required to detect predictors of outcome in chronic depression, or that other variables, perhaps related to the social context of the patient rather than to the depression itself, may determine the course of chronic depression.