Nonpsychotic Major Depressive Disorder Research Articles

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventories in patients with major depression

The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI; Beck, A.T., Epstein, N., Brown, G., Steer, R.A., 1988. An inventory for measuring clinical anxiety: psychometric properties. J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 56, 893–897) is intended to assess clinical anxiety symptoms that are distinct from depressed mood, and there is some preliminary empirical support for this differential assessment. The BAI may serve a useful complementary role when used with the popular Beck Depression Inventory (BDI; Beck, A.T., Rush, A.J., Shaw, B.F., Emery, G., 1979. Cognitive Therapy of Depression: A Treatment Manual. Guilford Press, New York, NY; Beck, A.T., Ward, C.H., Mendelson, M., Mock, J., Erbaugh, J., 1961. An inventory for measuring depression. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry 4, 561–571), in patients with mood and/or anxiety disorders. Accordingly, the present paper reports the results of the first confirmatory factor analysis of the Beck scales in a homogeneous, clinically depressed sample (137 outpatients with non-psychotic major depressive disorder). Results indicated that a multidimensional model of separate anxiety and depression factors had good fit to the data. However, the parameter estimate was very high (0.784) and a unidimensional, single-factor model of negative affectivity approached the criteria for good fit. It was concluded that the Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventories assess distinct anxiety and depression phenomena to a limited extent when used in a clinically depressed sample.

Determinants of Suicidal Ideation

This study tested the hypothesis that the amount of psychoactive substance consumed (frequency and/or quantity), life problems resulting from this use, and a DSM-IV diagnosis of substance abuse/dependence are independent risk factors associated with increased suicidal ideation in a population of psychiatric inpatients with major depressive disorder. 891 hospitalized patients with a primary diagnosis of nonpsychotic major depressive disorder (MDD) received a standardized, psychiatrist-administered assessment battery. To examine the relationship between admission suicidality and demographic, psychiatric history, and admission variables, chi-square analyses were used for categorical data and one-way ANOVAs were used for continuous indices. Stepwise hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed to determine the set of variables that was independently related to admission suicidality level. There was general agreement between our findings and previous literature in regard to the association between severity of Axis I diagnosis, depressed mood, hopelessness, male gender, unemployment, involuntary treatment, and alcohol/drug problems and higher suicidal ideation. In our sample of hospitalized patients with unipolar major depressive disorder, higher current drug and/or alcohol dependency and high current use of alcohol or other substances of abuse were independently associated with higher levels of suicidal ideation. This association with higher suicidal ideation lends support to the importance of treating patients for both alcohol/drug problems and depression in an effort to decrease their risk for future suicide. We hope that our findings will improve the care that patients with dual diagnoses receive.

Treatment of major depression with psychotherapy or psychotherapy-pharmacotherapy combinations.

Few reliable correlates of treatment response in depression have emerged despite nearly 40 years of research. We examined the correlates of recovery in a "mega-analysis," or meta-analysis of original data, of 595 patients with major depressive disorder enrolled in 6 standardized treatment protocols. All patients (mean age, 44 years; 31% male and 69% female) met criteria for nonbipolar, nonpsychotic primary major depressive disorder and were treated for 16 weeks with either cognitive behavior therapy or interpersonal psychotherapy alone (psychotherapy alone; n = 243) or interpersonal psychotherapy plus antidepressant pharmacotherapy (combined therapy; n = 352). The impact of treatment type, severity, study, and other covariates on recovery rates or time to recovery were examined by means of chi 2, log-rank tests, the Cox proportional hazards model, and sensitivity analyses. Whereas combined therapy was not significantly more effective than psychotherapy alone in milder depressions, a highly significant advantage was observed in more severe recurrent depressions. Poorer outcomes were also observed in women and older patients, although these effects were dependent on inclusion of particular studies. Mega-analysis is a powerful method for comparing the efficacy of treatments and examining correlates of response. Using this method, we found new evidence in support of the widespread clinical impression that combined therapy is superior to psychotherapy alone for treatment of more severe, recurrent depressions.

Do psychotic, minor and intermittent depressive disorders exist on a continuum?

The following paper uses information from a family study and 10-year follow-up of probands with unipolar depression to describe relationships between psychotic and non-psychotic major depressive disorder (MDD) and, in turn, between psychotic MDD and minor or intermittent depressive disorders. Probands began follow-up as they sought treatment for MDD at any of five participating academic centers. Follow-up evaluations then occurred at 6-month intervals for 5 years and then annually for an additional 5 years. Two-thirds of the probands also entered a family study in which raters attempted direct interviews of all available adult first-degree relatives. Findings that individual symptoms comprising the endogenous MDD subtype had higher severity ratings, that the full MDD syndrome was present for a greater number of weeks in each year of follow-up, and that time to new episodes of MDD were shorter, all indicated that patients with psychotic features had a severe variant of MDD. An increased familial risk for psychotic MDD per se, and a sustained tendency for psychotic features to recur, indicated an important discontinuity, however. The increase in morbidity over time which characterized psychotic patients manifested in the full MDD syndrome, but not in mild MDD, minor or intermittent depressive syndromes. These milder syndromes tended to be more prominent over time among patients who began with non-psychotic MDD. This fails to support a continuum spanning both psychotic MDD and the mild, subsyndromal forms of unipolar depression.

What factors predict discrepancies between self and observer ratings of depression?

This study used a matched clinician and self-rating scale, the Inventory for Depressive Symptomatology (IDS; Rush et al., 1986), in the assessment of 48 patients meeting DSM-III-R criteria for non-psychotic major depressive disorder. Patients generally rated their symptoms as more severe than the clinican, but differences between the self and clinican rating (the delta-IDS) were significantly correlated with non-endogenous depressive subtype, higher levels of neuroticism and dysfunctional attitudes, and lower self-esteem. Multiple linear regression analysis which controlled for severity of depression demonstrated that whilst neuroticism, dysfunctional attitudes and self-esteem accounted for 48.5% of the variance in delta-IDS, the variable accounting for most of the variance was low self-esteem (47.9%).

Polysomnogram in major depressive and obsessive-compulsive disorders: A preliminary study

The sleep macroarchitecture of 10 outpatients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) was compared to a group of symptomatic, unmedicated outpatients with nonpsychotic major depressive disorder (MDD) (n = 10). No group main effects were observed. Gender by group interactions were observed on the amount of wakefulness and total sleep period. Male patients with MDD had the highest amount of wakefulness, whereas female patients with OCD showed the least amount of wakefulness. Of the REM sleep parameters, only the duration of the individual REM periods showed between-group differences, interacting with gender. Gender main effects were also obtained on the amount of Stage 1 sleep, which was lower among females. REM latency did not differentiate the groups. These findings suggest that selected sleep EEG parameters may differentiate patients with MDD from those with OCD, but that these effects are moderated by gender. Depression 2:291–302 (1994/1995). © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

A method to detect intercenter differences in the application of contemporary diagnostic criteria.

The use of specified diagnostic criteria is part of routine psychiatric practice and research. However, there is evidence that the same criteria may be interpreted and applied differently at different research centers. The next question is whether it is possible to detect these systematic intercenter differences in diagnostic practices. An inexpensive, nonlaborious, standardized method is needed that can easily be used at any site. In the present report, we demonstrate how self-report questionnaires can provide a method of detecting systematic differences in the application of contemporary diagnostic criteria. Sixty consecutively admitted inpatients with nonpsychotic major depressive disorder were interviewed with standardized schedules and diagnosed according to two interpretations of the Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) and DSM-III endogenous/melancholia criteria. The patients also completed the Inventory to Diagnose Depression, a self-report scale designed to diagnose major depression and subtype patients according to RDC and DSM-III endogenous/melancholia criteria. The interview to self-report ratio for diagnosing endogenous depression and melancholia was associated with diagnosticians' interpretation of the criteria. A broader application of the criteria resulted in a higher ratio. A paper-and-pencil questionnaire could be useful in detecting systematic interinvestigator differences in the broadness or narrowness with which criteria are applied. The advantage of a self-report scale is that it is free from systematic biases and tendencies of clinician raters. Of course, ratings on questionnaires are not free of bias; however, it is less likely that differences between samples will reflect a systematic variation in response set.

Delusional and Nondelusional Unipolar Depression: Further Evidence for Distinct Subtypes

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article ArticleNo AccessDelusional and Nondelusional Unipolar Depression: Further Evidence for Distinct SubtypesFrank Miller, and Linda Ann ChabrierFrank MillerSearch for more papers by this author, and Linda Ann ChabrierSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:1 Apr 2006https://doi.org/10.1176/ps.37.11.1157AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail "Delusional and Nondelusional Unipolar Depression: Further Evidence for Distinct Subtypes." Psychiatric Services, 37(11), pp. 1157–1158 Access content To read the fulltext, please use one of the options below to sign in or purchase access. Personal login Institutional Login Sign in via OpenAthens Purchase Save for later Item saved, go to cart PPV Articles - Psychiatric Services $35.00 Add to cart PPV Articles - Psychiatric Services Checkout Please login/register if you wish to pair your device and check access availability. Not a subscriber? Subscribe Now / Learn More PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5 library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development. Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.). FiguresReferencesCited byDetailsCited byClinical characteristics and sociodemographic features of psychotic major depression26 March 2021 | Annals of General Psychiatry, Vol. 20, No. 1Risk of Psychosis in Recurrent Episodes of Psychotic and Nonpsychotic Major Depressive Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisJ. Craig Nelson, M.D., David Bickford, B.S., Kevin Delucchi, Ph.D., Jess G. Fiedorowicz, M.D., Ph.D., William H. Coryell, M.D.24 May 2018 | American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 175, No. 9DST Studies in Psychotic Depression: A Meta-AnalysisJ. Craig Nelson, M.D., and John M. Davis, M.D.1 April 2006 | American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 154, No. 11 Volume 37Issue 11 November 1986Pages 1157-1158 Metrics PDF download History Published online 1 April 2006 Published in print 1 November 1986

Distal colon motility and clinical parameters in depression

Eighty-six patients suffering from nonpsychotic unipolar major depressive disorder, according to Research Diagnostic Criteria, were rated on a modified Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRS). All completed the self-rating Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Distal colon motility (dcm) studies, performed in all the patients, differentiated two types: low intestinal tone (low-IT) = 40 subjects, and high intestinal tone (high-IT) = 46 subjects. Low-IT depressed patients showed a statistically significant preponderance in the HRS items ‘retardation’, ‘somatization’, ‘fatigability’, ‘hypochondriasis’ and ‘obsessional symptoms’. The high-IT depressed patients, on the other hand, showed preponderance in the items ‘guilt’, ‘suicide’, ‘insomnia’, ‘agitation’, ‘anxiety psychic’, ‘loss of insight’, ‘depersonalization’ and ‘paranoid symptoms’. A positive correlation ( r) was found between HRS- and BDI-mean total scores. In addition, a positive correlation ( r) was found between HRS scores and distal colon tone in high-IT patients, although the same was not true for low-IT patients. Our results suggest the existence of two subtypes of depressive syndromes, distinguishable on the basis of distal colon motility profiles.

Distal colon motility as a predictor of antidepressant response to fenfluramine, imipramine and clomipramine

The present study gathers results obtained in the treatment of 86 depressed outpatients. The patients were grouped according to their distal colon tone, low-IT and high-IT. All the patients fulfilled the Research Diagnostic Criteria for nonpsychotic unipolar major depressive disorder and were rated on a slightly modified 18-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRS). They also completed the 21-item self-rating Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The 46 subjects from the high-IT group and the 40 subjects from the low-IT group were divided into three subgroups each for double-blind trials performed with clomipramine (CMI), imipramine (IMI), and fenfluramine (FENF). Normalization of HRS and BDI scores and reduction of IT were obtained with IMI and FENF but not CMI in high-IT patients; whereas normalization of both scores and increase in IT were obtained with CMI but not with IMI or FENF in low-IT patients. FENF was not tolerated in this last group. HRS and BDI scores correlated well during in-treatment periods. Our results suggest that distal colon tone is a guide to determining the pharmacotherapy in the depressive disorders. Furthermore, it was shown that FENF is a useful anti-depressant drug in one type of patient.