title: The prognostic importance of delusions in depression: a 6-year prospective follow-up study.
abstract: The authors followed 32 delusional and 41 unipolar non-delusional depressed patients 6 years after hospital discharge. Long-term outcome, as determined by the frequency of the relapses, number of hospitalizations, chronic course of illness as well as clinical status and global functioning at the end of the 6-year period, failed to differentiate the two patient groups. Discontinuation of maintenance medication in both groups or of antipsychotics in the delusional group was associated with a high rate of relapses. Our findings indicate that delusional depression has a similar clinical course to that of non-delusional depression, underline the importance of psychoprophylactic treatment and question the efficacy of monotherapy with antidepressants in the prevention of relapses of delusional depression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Athens University Medical School, Greece.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lykouras
authors.forename: G N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Christodoulou
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Malliaras
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stefanis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003702:Delusions / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010351:Patient Discharge; D010359:Patient Readmission; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents