Psychosocial Disability During the Long-term Course of Unipolar Major Depressive Disorder

Lewis L Judd; Hagop S Akiskal; Pamela J Zeller; Martin Paulus; Andrew C Leon; Jack D Maser; Jean Endicott; William Coryell; Jelena L Kunovac; Timothy I Mueller; John P Rice; Martin B Keller

doi:10.1001/archpsyc.57.4.375

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Psychosocial Disability During the Long-term Course of Unipolar Major Depressive Disorder

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Psychosocial Disability During the Long-term Course of Unipolar Major Depressive Disorder

Lewis L Judd, Hagop S Akiskal, Pamela J Zeller, Martin Paulus, Andrew C Leon, Jack D Maser, Jean Endicott, William Coryell, Jelena L Kunovac, Timothy I Mueller, …

Archives of general psychiatry, Vol.57(4), pp.375-380

04/01/2000

DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.57.4.375

PMID: 10768699

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Abstract

BACKGROUND The goal of this study was to investigate psychosocial disability in relation to depressive symptom severity during the long-term course of unipolar major depressive disorder (MDD). METHODS Monthly ratings of impairment in major life functions and social relationships were obtained during an average of 10 years' systematic follow-up of 371 patients with unipolar MDD in the National Institute of Mental Health Collaborative Depression Study. Random regression models were used to examine variations in psychosocial functioning associated with 3 levels of depressive symptom severity and the asymptomatic status. RESULTS A progressive gradient of psychosocial impairment was associated with a parallel gradient in the level of depressive symptom severity, which ranges from asymptomatic to subthreshold depressive symptoms to symptoms at the minor depression/dysthymia level to symptoms at the MDD level. Significant increases in disability occurred with each stepwise increment in depressive symptom severity. CONCLUSIONS During the long-term course, disability is pervasive and chronic but disappears when patients become asymptomatic. Depressive symptoms at levels of subthreshold depressive symptoms, minor depression/dysthymia, and MDD represent a continuum of depressive symptom severity in unipolar MDD, each level of which is associated with a significant stepwise increment in psychosocial disability.Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2000;57:375-380-->

Details

Title: Subtitle: Psychosocial Disability During the Long-term Course of Unipolar Major Depressive Disorder
Creators: Lewis L Judd
Hagop S Akiskal
Pamela J Zeller
Martin Paulus
Andrew C Leon
Jack D Maser
Jean Endicott
William Coryell
Jelena L Kunovac
Timothy I Mueller
John P Rice
Martin B Keller
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Archives of general psychiatry, Vol.57(4), pp.375-380
DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.57.4.375
PMID: 10768699
NLM abbreviation: Arch Gen Psychiatry
ISSN: 0003-990X
eISSN: 1538-3636
Publisher: American Medical Association
Language: English
Date published: 04/01/2000
Academic Unit: Psychiatry
Record Identifier: 9984003442602771

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