title: A 3.5-year naturalistic follow-up study of depressed out-patients.
abstract: Outcome studies of patients suffering from depression indicate high relapse rates and a tendency towards chronicity. The present study describes the long-term outcome of 95 depressed outpatients in a third-level referral centre. and examines the relationship between baseline-variables (age, sex, level of psychopathology, age at onset of first psychiatric disorder, duration of illness at baseline, diagnosis) and outcome variables. After 3.5 years, 34 patients (36%) had a chronic course, 24 patients (25%) had at least one recurrence and 37 patients (39%) had a non-recurrent course. Chronicity was significantly correlated with an early age of onset of the first psychiatric disorder, a high level of psychopathology and a high level of depressive symptoms at baseline. The duration of depression at index did not differentiate chronic course from recurrent or non-recurrent course. After 1 year of follow-up, patients with recurrence were significantly more likely to stop antidepressant treatment. The results confirm the great chance for chronicity and recurrence in depression and the need to develop long-term treatment programs to prevent relapse.
authors.affiliation: Parnassia Psycho-Medical Centre, Monsterseweg 83, 2553 RJ The Hague, The Netherlands. e.hoencamp@parnassia.nl
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hoencamp
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Haffmans
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Griens
authors.forename: I P
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: Huijbrechts
authors.forename: B F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Heycop ten Ham
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents