Comparison of overgeneral autobiographical memory between first-episode and recurrent depressive patients

Abstract

Object To explore the difference of overgeneral autobiographical memory (OGM) between first-episode and recurrent depressive patients, and whether the overgeneral autobiographical memory can affect the symptoms of depression or not. Methods 34 first-episode depression patients and 31 recurrent depression patients were enrolled. All patients were measured by autobiographical memory test(AMT), Hamilton Depression Scale-17 (HAMD-17) and Beck depression rating scale(BDI). Results ①The OGM score was higher in recurrent depressive group than that in first-episode group(respectively, (3.90±1.65), ( 3.10±1.57), t=2.035, P<0.05). ②The positive OGM score was higher in recurrent depressive group than that in first-episode group(respectively, (2.40±1.36), (1.70±1.08), t=2.308, P<0.05). ③The correlation coefficient (r value)between the total score of OGM and total score of BDI, total score of HAMD, two subfactors (cognitive disorder and slow)scores of HAMD in recurrent depressive group were 0.497, 0.552, 0.631, and 0.553 respectively, which significantly correlated. Conclusion Compared with first-episode depressive patients, the OGM in recurrent depressive patients is more severe. The OGM can increase the symptoms of depression, the cognitive disorder and slow. Key words: Recurrent depression; First-episode depression; Overgeneral autobiographical memory