Life satisfaction and psychosocial functioning in chronic depression: effect of acute treatment with antidepressants.
Social functioning was evaluated in 61 chronically depressed adults with early onset. Patients were treated for 6 weeks in a double-blind trial of phenelzine, imipramine, L-deprenyl, or placebo and functioning was reassessed. The posttreatment social functioning of patients who received drug treatment was superior to the placebo group in the following areas: work functioning, house functioning, relationship with relatives, sex frequency and life satisfaction. These results suggest that psychosocial impairment in some chronic depressives may be a sequaela of depression, rather than a global manifestation of characterological pathology.
Agosti
V
V
New York State Psychiatric Institute, NY 10032.
Stewart
J W
JW
Quitkin
F M
FM
D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000328:Adult; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007099:Imipramine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008297:Male; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D010556:Personality Tests; D010624:Phenelzine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012642:Selegiline / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D012917:Social Adjustment
D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D012642:Selegiline; D010624:Phenelzine; D007099:Imipramine