Post-psychotic depression in schizophrenia.

Post-psychotic depression (PPD) is defined as the development of depression during the phase of remission of schizophrenia. Two groups of DSM-III-R schizophrenics, one with PPD and the other without PPD (30 subjects in each group) were compared. Significantly more patients in PPD group belonged to nuclear families, had longer duration of psychotic phase of the illness, were hospitalised more frequently and had more sadness and anxiety-somatisation during florid illness phase. The PPD group also had more past history of depression. Although PPD patients had better premorbid personal-social adjustment in comparison with non-PPD group, they perceived themselves to be lacking in social support and had experienced more stressful life events. For patients in the PPD group, stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed age of onset, sadness during florid psychotic state, premorbid adjustment, social support and life events as significant determinants of severity of depression in the post-psychotic phase.