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Outcome of Depression in Psychiatric Settings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Marco Piccinelli  and
Greg Wilkinson
Marco Piccinelli*
Affiliation:
Servizio di Psicologia Medica, Istituto di Psichiatria, Università di Verona, Italy
Greg Wilkinson
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, The London Hospital Medical College, Turner Street, London E1 2AD
*
∗Servizio di Psicologia Medica, Istituto di Psichiatria, Ospedale Policlinico, 37134 Verona, Italy
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Abstract

We reviewed follow-up studies of adults with depressive disorders seen in psychiatric settings, and noted outcomes in terms of recovery, recurrence, and persistent depression, at six months, one year, two to five years, and ten or more years after an index episode of depression. Recovery increased with time: about half recovered at least briefly by six months, and a large majority did so in the long term. Only about a quarter recovered from an index episode and remained well more than ten years thereafter. A quarter of patients suffered recurrence of depression within a year of an index episode, and three-quarters did so at least once during follow-up periods lasting more than ten years. For more than one in ten patients, the depression proved persistent, the proportion affected remaining relatively stable over time. The review highlighted a relative paucity of conclusive investigations on the outcome of the commonest psychiatric disorder in clinical settings.

Type
Review Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 164 , Issue 3 , March 1994 , pp. 297 - 304
Copyright
Copyright © 1994 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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