Application of cluster analysis in the classification of depression. A replication study.

Abstract

This paper reports a replication study of a four-group cluster-analytic typology of depressed patients. Several hierarchial agglomerative clustering procedures were applied on the original patient sample using a slightly reduced variable pool. The best replication obtained used Ward's error sum of squares method and was stable on iterative relocation. Three groups, psychotic depressives, anxious depressives, and young depressives with personality disorders replicated well, while hostile depressives failed to separate clearly from the young depressives.