[Clinical course as a risk factor for chronification of depressive disorders. Results of a 6-year follow-up]

A 6-year follow-up study of unipolar depressive inpatients shows a high percentage of 26% of patients with a chronic course. The chronic patients have significant longer phases of depression in the history of their illness or in the index episode and a longer hospitalisation in the index episode. Patients with chronic course have although more often a first episode before the age of 25 years, were less suicidal by admission to hospital and show less improvement from admission to discharge. The study shows, that although not all aspects of the clinical course are related with chronicity, the duration of depressive phases is a good predictor for a chronic course.