Medical and psychological predictors of prodromal period of repeated episode of major depressive disorder

Abstract

Aim. The identification of medical and psychological predictors of mental disorders are important for early diagnosis and therapy. The purpose of research – the identification of medical and psychological predictors of the prodromal period of the repeat episode of recurrent depressive disorder and investigation of their structural and dynamic characteristics.Materials and methods. On the basis of City psychoneurological hospital № 2 of Donetsk 100 patients with depressive disorder were examined using anamnestic, catamnestic, psycho-diagnostic methods. The study established the following predictors of the prodromal period: the prevalence of anxiety over depressive phenomena, reduction of the harmonious type of attitude to the disease, reducing mediated memorizing, lengthening reaction time.Conclusions. The analysis of the representation of the pathopsychological phenomens in the population of patients showed dynamic changes in the group of the predictors in the framework of the continuum «psychasthenia-anxiety-depression» in the form of consecutive change of phases of a prodromal period of repeat episode of recurrent depressive disorder.