Type of depression and results of mortality

Abstract

The object of this study was to discover if a mortality study could distinguish between reactive/neurotic and endogenous depression; a reoccurring concern. Research has so far been inconclusive and psychiatrists still use the two diagnoses; reactive and endogenous depression. A method was designed using a cohort selected 24 years previously and that followed the strict criteria of a Medical Research Unit in the U.K. Each patient was given the diagnosis of either reactive or neurotic at that time. The cohorts were followed prospectively for 24 years. The results were computed to test the statistical significance of premature mortality for both diagnosis and to compare the results with a control group. The results showed endogenous depression was associated with premature mortality, from both natural and unnatural death, particulary in the years immediately after discharge. The results give some support to the distinction between endogenous and reactive depression, and demonstrate that a diagnosis of endogenous depression is related to a higher risk of premature mortality in some patients.