title: Late-life atypical major depressive episode: a 358-case study in outpatients.
abstract: The author compared the prevalence and symptoms of DSM-IV major depressive episode (MDE) with atypical features between older and younger MDE outpatients (N = 358). Atypical MDE was present in 55.0% of MDE patients under age 60 and in 28.1% age 60 and over (P = 0.0000). Bipolar II disorder was present in 56.4% of younger patients, and in 23.9% of late-life patients (P = 0.0000). Late-life atypical MDE patients had less interpersonal-rejection sensitivity. Prevalence of atypical MDE seems lower among late-life MDE outpatients than among younger MDE outpatients, which may be related to the decrease with aging in the prevalence of patients with bipolar II MDE, where there is a higher prevalence of atypical features.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Public Hospital Morgagni, Forlì, Italy. f.benazzi@fo.nettuno.it
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Benazzi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D012059:Rejection, Psychology