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A COMPARISON OF MELANCHOLIC AND NONMELANCHOLIC RECURRENT MAJOR DEPRESSION IN HAN CHINESE WOMEN
Author(s) -
Sun Ning,
Li Yihan,
Cai Yiyun,
Chen Jing,
Shen Yuan,
Sun Jing,
Zhang Zheng,
Zhang Jiulong,
Wang Lina,
Guo Liyang,
Yang Lei,
Qiang Li,
Yang Yanchun,
Wang Gang,
Du Bo,
Xia Jing,
Rong Han,
Gan Zhaoyu,
Hu Bin,
Pan Jiyang,
Li Chang,
Sun Shufan,
Han Wei,
Xiao Xue,
Dai Lei,
Jin Guixing,
Zhang Yutang,
Sun Lixin,
Chen Yunchun,
Zhao Haiying,
Dang Yamei,
Shi Shenxun,
Kendler Kenneth S.,
Flint Jonathan,
Zhang Kerang
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
depression and anxiety
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.634
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1520-6394
pISSN - 1091-4269
DOI - 10.1002/da.20875
Subject(s) - melancholia , melancholic depression , agoraphobia , depression (economics) , panic disorder , neuroticism , psychiatry , psychology , comorbidity , anxiety , clinical psychology , population , medicine , personality , psychoanalysis , cognition , environmental health , economics , macroeconomics
Background Although the diagnosis of melancholia has had a long history, the validity of the current DSM‐IV definition remains contentious. We report here the first detailed comparison of melancholic and nonmelancholic major depression (MD) in a Chinese population examining in particular whether these two forms of MD differ quantitatively or qualitatively. Methods DSM‐IV criteria for melancholia were applied to 1,970 Han Chinese women with recurrent MD recruited from 53 provincial mental health centers and psychiatric departments of general medical hospitals in 41 cities. Statistical analyses, utilizing Student's t ‐tests and Pearson's χ 2 , were calculated using SPSS 13.0. Results Melancholic patients with MD were distinguished from nonmelancholic by being older, having a later age at onset, more episodes of illness and meeting more A criteria. They also had higher levels of neuroticism and rates of lifetime generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and social and agoraphobia. They had significantly lower rates of childhood sexual abuse but did not differ on other stressful life events or rates of MD in their families. Discussion Consistent with most prior findings in European and US populations, we find that melancholia is a more clinically severe syndrome than nonmelancholic depression with higher rates of comorbidity. The evidence that it is a more “biological” or qualitatively distinct syndrome, however, is mixed.