Predictive validity of subtypes of chronic affective disorders derived by cluster analysis.
This study aimed to examine the predictive validity of the cluster-analytically derived 3 subtypes of chronic affective disorders that were proposed on the basis of cross-sectional symptoms and were shown to have some external validity with regard to psychosocial characteristics. Two-year naturalistic follow-up data were available for 38 (97%) of the original 39 patients with chronic affective disorders. The 3 subtypes, which were named psychotic subtype, late-onset female subtype and depressive personality subtype in the previous analyses, did not differ in their depressive severity or social functioning upon entry. In the course of the 2-year follow-up, however, there were significant differences in the Global Assessment of Functioning scores as well as the social adaptation in the economic sphere according to the Social Adjustment Scale-Self Report. All these indices revealed the psychotic subtype to have the worst outcome, followed by the depressive personality subtype, and the late-onset female subtype fared best.
Furukawa
T
T
Department of Psychiatry, Nagoya City University, Japan.
Awaji
R
R
Nakazato
H
H
Sumita
Y
Y
D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D002908:Chronic Disease; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012737:Sex Factors