0
61
Psychiatric News   |   April 16, 2004 
Volume 39 Number 8 page 71-71
Clinical and Research News
  • Print
  • E-mail
    Recipient(s) will receive an email with a link (good for 72 hours) to 'Family Factors Less Crucial In Episodic Depression' and do not need to have Psychiatric News account to access the content.
    Example: John Doe
    CC Me:
    Enter your valid email address. Example: jdoe@example.com
    Separate multiple email address with semi-colons (up to 5).
    's Psychiatric News: 'Family Factors Less Crucial In Episodic Depression'
    Subject for your email.
    (Optional, message will truncate at 1000 characters)
    Copyright © in the material you requested is held by The American Psychiatric Association (unless otherwise noted). This email ability is provided as a courtesy, and by using it you agree that you are requesting the material solely for personal, non-commercial use, and that it is subject to The American Psychiatric Association's Terms of Use. The information provided in order to email this topic will not be used to send unsolicited email, nor will it be furnished to third parties. Please refer to The American Psychiatric Association's Privacy Policy for further information.
    Copyright © American Psychiatric Association. All rights reserved.
  • Share
  • Reprints
Family Factors Less Crucial In Episodic Depression
text A A A
View Disclosures and Other Information
While chronic depression can sometimes be milder than acute depression, chronic depression appears to be much more severe when viewed over time and from the perspective of familial liability.
Chronic depression appears to be distinguished from episodic depression by a confluence of genetic and nongenetic influences transmitted within the family of the patient, which may contribute to the more pernicious course of chronic depression.
Rates of major depressive disorder are significantly greater among relatives of adolescents with dysthymic disorder and chronic major depressive disorder than among the relatives of adolescents with episodic major depressive disorder, according to a report in the April American Journal of Psychiatry.
In turn, the rates of major depressive disorder were greater among relatives of adolescents with episodic major depressive disorder than among the relatives of adolescents with no history of mood disorder.
"Chronic depression is an understudied topic, and it is often underrecognized in clinical practice," said lead author Daniel Klein, Ph.D. "Clinicians often focus on the acute episode and don’t do a careful assessment of prior course. I believe that this study adds to a growing literature suggesting that chronicity is an important dimension to consider in assessing depression."
Klein is with the department of psychology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
In the study, 2,615 first-degree relatives of 30 adolescents with dysthymic disorder, 65 adolescents with chronic major depressive disorder, 3,123 adolescents with episodic major depressive disorder, and 392 adolescents with no history of mood disorder were assessed by direct interview and informant records. The analysis used data from the family study component of the Oregon Adolescent Depression Project, a longitudinal investigation of a large sample of community-dwelling adolescents, to examine the distinctions between dysthymic disorder, chronic major depressive disorder, and episodic major depressive disorder.
Klein told Psychiatric News that the findings are consistent with previous research suggesting that chronic and episodic depressions may differ etiologically, as well as in terms of their prognosis and course.
"For this reason, clinicians should be sure to carefully assess prior course in depressed adolescents and adults," he advised.
In addition, chronic depressions, particularly dysthymic disorder, are often viewed as mild conditions, he said. "This study also adds to the literature challenging that perspective," Klein continued. "While some chronic depressions may be milder than acute depressions at a given point in time, when viewed over the course of time and from the perspective of familial liability, they appear to be much more severe conditions."
The study was supported by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health.
The study, "Family Study of Chronic Depression in a Community Sample of Young Adults," is posted online at ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/161/4/646. ▪
Am J Psychiatry  2004161646

Interactive Graphics

Video

NOTE:
Citing articles are presented as examples only. In non-demo SCM6 implementation, integration with CrossRef’s “Cited By” API will populate this tab (http://www.crossref.org/citedby.html).
Compression-Only CPR: Pushing the Science Forward
Cone
AAM 2010;304:1493-1495.
All you need to read in the other general jounals
BMJ 2010;341:c5893-c1494.
Submit a Comments
Please read the other comments before you post yours. Contributors must reveal any conflict of interest.
Comments are moderated and will appear on the site at the discertion of JBJS editorial staff.

* = Required Field
(if multiple authors, separate names by comma)
Example: John Doe



Similar Articles
PSYCHIATRIC NEWS
Articles
Less Psychotherapy, More Meds Characterize Depression Care
Psychiatric News 3 February 2012: Vol. 47. no. 3, pp. 13a-13a
Psychiatrists Occupy Place in Protest Movement
Psychiatric News 20 January 2012: Vol. 47. no. 2, pp. 1-31
[+] View More
Copyright ©
American
Psychiatric
Association