Life events and clinical subtypes of major depression: a cross-sectional study.

The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between stressful life events and depression. Ninety major depressive patients, aged 36.57 +/- 12.02 years, and 121 matched controls, aged 27.11 +/- 10.59 years, took part in the study. The life change units (LCU) according to Rahe et al. were used for the quantification of life events. The results suggested that males reported significantly more life events than females. Atypical males differed from all other gender-by-type groups, while no other differences emerged. LCU correlated with melancholic indices but did not correlate with anxiety or functioning. The results suggest that subgroups of depressive patients are characterized by the presence of stressful life events. Male atypical patients reported the highest load of life events. The question that arises is whether this finding is valid or whether these patients (who have higher personality psychopathology and interpersonal rejection sensitivity) tend to over-report life events.