title: Primary and secondary depression: a review.
abstract: The literature on the distinction between primary and secondary depression is reviewed. The research data indicate that less severe, non life-threatening suicidal thoughts and behaviours occur more often in patients with secondary depression than in those with primary depression and that the prognosis for secondary depression after somatic forms of therapy is poorer than that for primary depression. The data also suggest that secondary depressives, unlike primary depressives, suffer from chronic dysphoria. It is concluded that, because the available evidence suggests that there are no qualitative differences between the episodes of primary and secondary depression, future research should concentrate on investigating the characteristics of different groups of patients with secondary depression rather than on comparisons between primary and secondary depression in general.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Alberta.
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Costello
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Scott
mesh_terms: D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D011379:Prognosis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales