Recall of depressive episode 25 years previously.
BACKGROUND
Lifetime rates of depression reported in epidemiological surveys are generally only twice the 12 month rates. Either people forget the symptoms of depression or many people who have a depressive episode remain depressed for many years. Both may be true. There is a need to examine the long-term clinical validity of interviews that are used to make lifetime diagnoses.


METHODS
Forty-five patients who were part of a long-term follow-up study of depression were interviewed 25 years after the index episode. The diagnoses from the original, fully structured interviews were compared with the responses people made for that period when interviewed using the CIDI 25 years later.


RESULTS
Twenty-seven patients met CIDI DSM-III-R criteria for depression at index episode. At the 25 year follow-up, 19 of the 27 reported the essential symptoms of 'depression or loss of interest' being present at the index time, and in 14 of the 27 the depressive symptoms recalled met criteria for DSM-III-R major depressive episode at that time.


CONCLUSIONS
Seventy per cent of people who were hospitalized for a major depressive episode can recall being depressed but only half can recall sufficient detail to satisfy the diagnostic criteria when interviewed 25 years later. As depressive episodes, especially those severe enough to warrant admission, are recalled better than many other diagnoses, one must be cautious about the lifetime rates for mental disorders reported in retrospective epidemiological surveys.
Andrews
G
G
St. Vincent's Hospital, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Australia.
Anstey
K
K
Brodaty
H
H
Issakidis
C
C
Luscombe
G
G
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D010343:Patient Admission; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D015203:Reproducibility of Results