Time estimation of depressive patients: The influence of interval content

Abstract

Duration judgements for intervals of different lengths and content were studied in depressive in-patients (n = 47) and a control sample of surgical in-patients (n = 16). As suggested by research on non-clinical subjects, tasks during the intervals influenced the depressed patients' duration judgements. Severely depressed endogenous depressives (n = 17) over-estimated time when left completely unoccupied or when attending to tasks requiring concentration. Endogenous depressives (n = 17) remitted with regard to subjective depression but, exhibiting signs of psychomotor retardation, selectively over-estimated time when required to concentrate under time pressure. Neurotic/reactive depressives (n = 13) with an intermediate level of subjective depression and almost normal psychomotor functioning did not over-estimate any of these intervals. Time estimations of patients and controls did not differ for intervals in the range of seconds and minutes requiring attention to time only, and for a longer part of the experimental session. Alteration of time estimation and results of a time experience inventory corresponded for endogenous depressives but not for neurotic/reactive depressives. Results are discussed in terms of the influence of affective state and subjective concentration effort on the over-estimations observed.

Abnormal Time Experiences in Major Depression: An Empirical Qualitative Study

“…They show that a critical cluster of decision-specific temporal inabilities is a risk factor distinguishing severely depressed patients from mildly/moderate depressed patients. A similar result was obtained by Münzel et al [88] , who found that endogenous depressives (but not neurotic/reactive depressives) selectively overestimated time intervals when required to concentrate under time pressure. These results are in principal confirmed by our study.…”

“…Also, employing time production/reproduction tasks, contradictory findings have been provided [88,[91][92][93][94][95] . Thönes and Oberfeld [83] , in a recent meta-analysis, reported no significant differences between normal controls and people with depression in all-time perception tasks (estimation, production/reproduction, discrimination); they also confirmed the significance of subjective time slowness occurring in people with depression.…”

“…Some of these discrepancies have been attributed to (a) the experimental design of time perception tasks, where the time intervals used as stimuli range from milliseconds to minutes (differences between normal controls and depressed patients may be evident only in longer intervals of time) [83] ; (b) different mechanisms that may underpin time perception (e.g., neurocognitive abilities) compared to time experience (mood disturbance and PMR) [87,88] ; (c) the ineffectiveness of laboratory paradigms to capture real-world time experience, where the slowness of subjective time manifests itself [86] .…”

“…On the contrary, time experience is considered the "direct phenomenal impression of time perception," that is the subjective experience of time flowing [86] . Time experience has been investigated via the Visual Analogue Scale (a graduated line spanning from extremely slow to extremely quick polarities) [87,88] and via the verbal statements produced by the patients [89] . In the course of depression, patients frequently report slowness of time sense [86][87][88][89][90][91][92] , as well an inclination to overvalue toward past events rather than the future [92] .…”

Time, Emotion and the Embodiment of Timing

“…To date, the results of studies of time perception in individuals with depressive symptoms have been inconsistent and contradictory, probably due to the heterogeneity of the populations sampled (clinically depressed patients vs. healthy participants with depressive symptoms) and the diversity of the temporal tasks employed (Msetfi et al, 2012). Some studies have failed to find any evidence of disturbed duration judgments for different levels of depression (Bech, 1975;Hawkins, French, Crawford & Enzle, 1988;Kitamura & Kumar, 1984;Mezey & Cohen, 1961;Munzel, Gendner, Steinberg & Raith, 1988;Prabhu, Agrawal & Teja, 1969;Wyrick & Wyrick, 1997). Other studies, by contrast, have found that depressive mood disrupts time judgments by causing time distortions and/or by reducing sensitivity to time (Bschor et al, 2004;Grinker, Glucksman, Hirsch & Viseltear, 1973;Kitamura & Kumar, 1982;Kuhs, Hermann, Kammer & Tolle, 1991;Msetfi et al, 2012;Mun- , 1988;Rammsayer, 1990;Sévigny, Everett & Grondin, 2003;Tysk, 1984;Wyrick & Wyrick, 1977).…”