Predictors of persistent social impairment among recovered depressed outpatients.
BACKGROUND
Though the social functioning of most depressed outpatients improves with effective treatment, a subgroup may remain impaired after recovering from depression. The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of residual social impairment among patients who recovered from depression.


METHODS
These data were obtained from the Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program (TDCPR) public access tape. The TDCPR tested the relative efficacy of two psychotehrapies, imipramine, and placebo in major depression. Patients received follow-up assessments after completing the clinical trial. The following assessment instruments were used to assess predictor variables: Social Adjustment Scale II, Personality Assessment Form (PAF), Longitudinal Interval Follow-up Events (LIFE), and the Schedule for Affective Disorders (SADS).


RESULTS
Recovered patients who were socially impaired at the end of treatment and six months later, had a higher rate of Intermittent Depression, and reported greater malfunctioning during adolescence than recovered patients whose functioning was unimpaired after treatment and at follow-up. The rates of personality disorders were not significantly different between these groups.


CONCLUSIONS
These analyses were performed post-hoc and the sample size was small.


CONCLUSIONS
A chronic course of depression predicted persistent social maladjustment among patients who recovered from depression for 6 months.
Agosti
V
V
New York State Psychiatric Institute and the Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York 10032, USA. agostiv@pi.cpmc.columbia.edu
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012919:Social Behavior