Manic-Depressive Psychosis in Private Practice

Relation of age at onset to duration of episode in unipolar depression.

“…Clearly there was no progressive increase in duration with age. Our findings thus are different from those that have been reported, for example, by Lundquist (1945) and by Paskind (1930). The fact that our findings also contradict a great deal of clinical opinion (e.g., Epstein, 1976) and clinical observation (e.g., post, 1962), deserves some explanation.…”

“…Our review of the literature overwhelmingly suggested this hypothesis. Thus, Lundquist (1945) and Paskind (1930) reported longer lasting episodes for patients over the age of 30, and Dorzab et al (1971) obtained similar results using 40 years of age as a cutoff. It is also generally believed (e.g., Epstein, 1976; Silverman, 1968) that depression is more common among the elderly due to “biological changes, the rising frequency of somatic illness, physiological decline, physical debilities, malnutrition, over-medication (both iatrogenic and self-induced), sensory deficits, reduction of mental agility, economic discriminations, social loss, and the increasing proximity of death” (Jarvik, 1976, p. 326).…”

“…At the other end of the continuum, 26.9% of the episodes lasted for 1 or more years, and a few ( n = 11) extended for 15 or more years. It is likely that those studies reporting longer average durations for episodes of depression (Bothwell & Weissman, 1977; Dorzab et al, 1971; Lundquist, 1945; Paskind, 1930; Weissman, Prusoff, & Klerman, 1978; Winokur & Morrison, 1973) included more chronically depressed individuals in their sample populations. It would seem that people with long-duration episodes (i.e., 1 or more years) thus constitute an important subgroup of depressive individuals to be studied.…”

Relation of age at onset to duration of episode in unipolar depression.

“…Clearly there was no progressive increase in duration with age. Our findings thus are different from those that have been reported, for example, by Lundquist (1945) and by Paskind (1930). The fact that our findings also contradict a great deal of clinical opinion (e.g., Epstein, 1976) and clinical observation (e.g., post, 1962), deserves some explanation.…”

“…Our review of the literature overwhelmingly suggested this hypothesis. Thus, Lundquist (1945) and Paskind (1930) reported longer lasting episodes for patients over the age of 30, and Dorzab et al (1971) obtained similar results using 40 years of age as a cutoff. It is also generally believed (e.g., Epstein, 1976; Silverman, 1968) that depression is more common among the elderly due to “biological changes, the rising frequency of somatic illness, physiological decline, physical debilities, malnutrition, over-medication (both iatrogenic and self-induced), sensory deficits, reduction of mental agility, economic discriminations, social loss, and the increasing proximity of death” (Jarvik, 1976, p. 326).…”

“…At the other end of the continuum, 26.9% of the episodes lasted for 1 or more years, and a few ( n = 11) extended for 15 or more years. It is likely that those studies reporting longer average durations for episodes of depression (Bothwell & Weissman, 1977; Dorzab et al, 1971; Lundquist, 1945; Paskind, 1930; Weissman, Prusoff, & Klerman, 1978; Winokur & Morrison, 1973) included more chronically depressed individuals in their sample populations. It would seem that people with long-duration episodes (i.e., 1 or more years) thus constitute an important subgroup of depressive individuals to be studied.…”

Depression Exposed, 1971

“…In all but 18 of the 146 subsequent-attack patients, the age at onset of the first and second depressive attacks was known; it was possible, therefore, to calculate a mean interval, between the first and second attacks, for each decade of age of onset of the initial illness. The range was extremely wide at all ages of onset, but the mean intervals between first and second attacks showed a decrease with increasing age and were of the same order as those quoted in some previous studies (Kraepelin 1921, Paskind 1930. The difference between the mean recovery interval of 7.9 years for those suffering their initial illness before 40 and that of 5-3 for those suffering it after 40 just failed to reach statistical significance, but the trend shown appears to support the view that with increasing age depressive illness, if it recurs, does so with increasing frequency (Post 1968).…”

Cognition and nondysphoric depression among adoptees at high risk for psychopathology

“…In the early 1900s, Kraepelin and other psychiatrists observed that some depressive conditions showed only mild affective or mood symptoms [2, 3]. In fact, as late as 1984, the official opinion of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) was that in major depression mood disturbances could be prominent and relatively persistent, but not necessarily the most dominant symptom [p. 213, 4] .…”

Relation of age at onset to duration of episode in unipolar depression.

“…Clearly there was no progressive increase in duration with age. Our findings thus are different from those that have been reported, for example, by Lundquist (1945) and by Paskind (1930). The fact that our findings also contradict a great deal of clinical opinion (e.g., Epstein, 1976) and clinical observation (e.g., post, 1962), deserves some explanation.…”

“…Our review of the literature overwhelmingly suggested this hypothesis. Thus, Lundquist (1945) and Paskind (1930) reported longer lasting episodes for patients over the age of 30, and Dorzab et al (1971) obtained similar results using 40 years of age as a cutoff. It is also generally believed (e.g., Epstein, 1976; Silverman, 1968) that depression is more common among the elderly due to “biological changes, the rising frequency of somatic illness, physiological decline, physical debilities, malnutrition, over-medication (both iatrogenic and self-induced), sensory deficits, reduction of mental agility, economic discriminations, social loss, and the increasing proximity of death” (Jarvik, 1976, p. 326).…”

“…At the other end of the continuum, 26.9% of the episodes lasted for 1 or more years, and a few ( n = 11) extended for 15 or more years. It is likely that those studies reporting longer average durations for episodes of depression (Bothwell & Weissman, 1977; Dorzab et al, 1971; Lundquist, 1945; Paskind, 1930; Weissman, Prusoff, & Klerman, 1978; Winokur & Morrison, 1973) included more chronically depressed individuals in their sample populations. It would seem that people with long-duration episodes (i.e., 1 or more years) thus constitute an important subgroup of depressive individuals to be studied.…”

Depression Exposed, 1971

“…In all but 18 of the 146 subsequent-attack patients, the age at onset of the first and second depressive attacks was known; it was possible, therefore, to calculate a mean interval, between the first and second attacks, for each decade of age of onset of the initial illness. The range was extremely wide at all ages of onset, but the mean intervals between first and second attacks showed a decrease with increasing age and were of the same order as those quoted in some previous studies (Kraepelin 1921, Paskind 1930. The difference between the mean recovery interval of 7.9 years for those suffering their initial illness before 40 and that of 5-3 for those suffering it after 40 just failed to reach statistical significance, but the trend shown appears to support the view that with increasing age depressive illness, if it recurs, does so with increasing frequency (Post 1968).…”

Cognition and nondysphoric depression among adoptees at high risk for psychopathology

“…In the early 1900s, Kraepelin and other psychiatrists observed that some depressive conditions showed only mild affective or mood symptoms [2, 3]. In fact, as late as 1984, the official opinion of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) was that in major depression mood disturbances could be prominent and relatively persistent, but not necessarily the most dominant symptom [p. 213, 4] .…”

Relation of age at onset to duration of episode in unipolar depression.

“…Clearly there was no progressive increase in duration with age. Our findings thus are different from those that have been reported, for example, by Lundquist (1945) and by Paskind (1930). The fact that our findings also contradict a great deal of clinical opinion (e.g., Epstein, 1976) and clinical observation (e.g., post, 1962), deserves some explanation.…”

“…Our review of the literature overwhelmingly suggested this hypothesis. Thus, Lundquist (1945) and Paskind (1930) reported longer lasting episodes for patients over the age of 30, and Dorzab et al (1971) obtained similar results using 40 years of age as a cutoff. It is also generally believed (e.g., Epstein, 1976; Silverman, 1968) that depression is more common among the elderly due to “biological changes, the rising frequency of somatic illness, physiological decline, physical debilities, malnutrition, over-medication (both iatrogenic and self-induced), sensory deficits, reduction of mental agility, economic discriminations, social loss, and the increasing proximity of death” (Jarvik, 1976, p. 326).…”

“…At the other end of the continuum, 26.9% of the episodes lasted for 1 or more years, and a few ( n = 11) extended for 15 or more years. It is likely that those studies reporting longer average durations for episodes of depression (Bothwell & Weissman, 1977; Dorzab et al, 1971; Lundquist, 1945; Paskind, 1930; Weissman, Prusoff, & Klerman, 1978; Winokur & Morrison, 1973) included more chronically depressed individuals in their sample populations. It would seem that people with long-duration episodes (i.e., 1 or more years) thus constitute an important subgroup of depressive individuals to be studied.…”

Depression Exposed, 1971

“…In all but 18 of the 146 subsequent-attack patients, the age at onset of the first and second depressive attacks was known; it was possible, therefore, to calculate a mean interval, between the first and second attacks, for each decade of age of onset of the initial illness. The range was extremely wide at all ages of onset, but the mean intervals between first and second attacks showed a decrease with increasing age and were of the same order as those quoted in some previous studies (Kraepelin 1921, Paskind 1930. The difference between the mean recovery interval of 7.9 years for those suffering their initial illness before 40 and that of 5-3 for those suffering it after 40 just failed to reach statistical significance, but the trend shown appears to support the view that with increasing age depressive illness, if it recurs, does so with increasing frequency (Post 1968).…”

Cognition and nondysphoric depression among adoptees at high risk for psychopathology

“…In the early 1900s, Kraepelin and other psychiatrists observed that some depressive conditions showed only mild affective or mood symptoms [2, 3]. In fact, as late as 1984, the official opinion of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) was that in major depression mood disturbances could be prominent and relatively persistent, but not necessarily the most dominant symptom [p. 213, 4] .…”