OBJECTIVE: The study describes course and outcome over 25 years in depressed and non-depressed men and women from a large community study. Outcome measures covered psychopathology, disability, and impaired functioning. METHOD: A depressive syndrome (depressed mood and three additional depressive symptoms) was defined and compared to a control condition without depressive symptoms in the seven days preceding baseline assessment. Assessments focused on three time points: baseline survey, 5-year follow-up, and 25-year follow-up. Self-rating scales as well as expert-rating interviews yielded data on a wide range of social and psychopathological risk factors and outcome measures. RESULTS: Among participants of all three waves (N=838), the baseline prevalence for depressive syndrome was 18.1%. Depressive symptoms manifest at the first wave had substantial impact over the 25-year study. Subjects with a depressive syndrome were predisposed for later adverse mental health outcomes, more disability in social domains and reduced functionality. No long-term increase or decrease of the prevalence of the depressive syndrome was observed. CONCLUSION: There is a persistent and long lasting impact of depressive syndrome, irrespective of diagnostic status, in the general population. Our results underscore the importance of sub-syndromal depressive syndrome when estimating the risk of future mental disorders and functional impairment in the long-term.
RCT Entities:
OBJECTIVE: The study describes course and outcome over 25 years in depressed and non-depressedmen and women from a large community study. Outcome measures covered psychopathology, disability, and impaired functioning. METHOD: A depressive syndrome (depressed mood and three additional depressive symptoms) was defined and compared to a control condition without depressive symptoms in the seven days preceding baseline assessment. Assessments focused on three time points: baseline survey, 5-year follow-up, and 25-year follow-up. Self-rating scales as well as expert-rating interviews yielded data on a wide range of social and psychopathological risk factors and outcome measures. RESULTS: Among participants of all three waves (N=838), the baseline prevalence for depressive syndrome was 18.1%. Depressive symptoms manifest at the first wave had substantial impact over the 25-year study. Subjects with a depressive syndrome were predisposed for later adverse mental health outcomes, more disability in social domains and reduced functionality. No long-term increase or decrease of the prevalence of the depressive syndrome was observed. CONCLUSION: There is a persistent and long lasting impact of depressive syndrome, irrespective of diagnostic status, in the general population. Our results underscore the importance of sub-syndromal depressive syndrome when estimating the risk of future mental disorders and functional impairment in the long-term.
Authors: D A Solomon; M B Keller; A C Leon; T I Mueller; P W Lavori; M T Shea; W Coryell; M Warshaw; C Turvey; J D Maser; J Endicott Journal: Am J Psychiatry Date: 2000-02 Impact factor: 18.112
Authors: L N Robins; J Wing; H U Wittchen; J E Helzer; T F Babor; J Burke; A Farmer; A Jablenski; R Pickens; D A Regier Journal: Arch Gen Psychiatry Date: 1988-12
Authors: Ute Martens; Gabriele Caspari; Anna Rilk; Jochen Hefner; Martin Teufel; Sibylle Klosterhalfen; Stephan Zipfel; Paul Enck Journal: Psychosoc Med Date: 2010-09-22