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Chronic depression: a case series of 203 outpatients treated at a private practice
1Department of Psychiatry, Morgagni Public Hospital, Forlì, Italy. f.benazzi@fo.nettuno.it
Objective:
To determine the prevalence of chronic depression among outpatients seen for depression.
Design:
Case series.
Setting:
Private practice.
Patients:
Two hundred and three outpatients with mood disorders, excluding patients with comorbid substance abuse disorders and severe personality disorders.
Outcome Measures:
Prevalence rate and patient variables (diagnosis, age at baseline, age at onset, sex, number of previous episodes of depression, atypical features, psychiatric comorbidity, psychosis, duration of illness and baseline severity).
Results:
The prevalence of chronic depression was 46.7%, which is higher than previously reported. The number of depressive episodes was higher, the presence of psychotic symptoms was more common and the duration of illness was longer in patients with chronic depression than in those with nonchronic depression.
Conclusions:
Chronic depression is more severe than nonchronic depression and is a prevalent illness in outpatients with depression seen in private practice.