Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-v9fdk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-20T01:19:04.844Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Psychotic symptoms in mood disorders: evaluation of 159 inpatients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

A Lenzi
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, Via Roma 67, Pisa, Italy
A Rinaldi
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, Via Roma 67, Pisa, Italy
I Bianco
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, Via Roma 67, Pisa, Italy
C Balestri
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, Via Roma 67, Pisa, Italy
D Marazziti*
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, Via Roma 67, Pisa, Italy
*
*Correspondence and reprints: D Marazziti, Istituto di Clinica Psichiatrica, Via Roma 57, 56100 Pisa, Italy.
Get access

Summary

The authors investigated the historical and clinical variables of 159 inpatients affected by mood disorders in order to identify variables which might differentiate psychotic from non-psychotic forms. The results showed that 32% of the patients had psychotic symptoms. Although no significant difference was detected with regard to the severity of depression, psychotic depressives were younger and had a lower age at onset, as well as a shorter episode length. These features suggest that depression may express itself with or without psychotic symptoms, according to the different individual and, perhaps, biological substrate. Taken together, our findings seem to indicate that psychotic depression should not be considered a separate clinical entity, but a subtype of mood disorders.

Type
Original articles
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier, Paris 1996

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Akiskal, HS. The temperamental borders of affective disorders Acta Psychiatr Scand 1994 89 suppl 3237CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Akiskal, HSMcKinney, WT Jr. Depressive disorders: towards a unified hypothesis. Science 1973; 182: 202CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alexander, PEVan, Kammer DPBunney, WE. Antipsychotic effects of lithium in schizophrenia. Am J Psychiatry 1979; 136: 283287Google Scholar
Angst, J. A clinical analysis of the effect of Tofranil in depression Psychopharmacologia 1961 2 381407CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anton, RFPsychotic Depression: Diagnosis, Treatment, Biology, Carrier. Foundation Letter 1986 12 542559Google Scholar
Bellini, LGatti, FGasperini, MSmeraldi, E. A comparison between delusional and non-delusional depressives. J Affect Dis 1992; 25: 129137CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Black, DWWinokur, GNasrallah, A. Effects of psychosis on suicide risk in 1593 patients with unipolar and bipolar affective disorders. Am J Psychiatry 1988; 145: 849852Google Scholar
Cassano, GBMusetti, LPerugi, G, et al.A proposed new approach to the clinical subclassification of depressive illness. Pharmacopsychiatry 1988; 21: 1923CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chamey, DSNelson, JC. Delusional and non-delusion unipolar depression: further evidence for distinct subtypes. Am J Psychiatry 1981; 138: 328333Google Scholar
Coryell, WLavori, LEndicott, JKeller, MBVan, Eerdewengh M. Outcome in schizoaffective psychotic and non-psychotic depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1984; 41: 787794CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coryell, WEndicott, JKeller, MAndreasen, NC. Phenomenology and family history in DSM-III psychotic depression. J Affect Dis 1985; 9: 1318CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crow, TJ. The continuum of psychosis and its genetic origin. Br J Psychiatry 1990; 156: 788797CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dubovsky, SLThomas, MT. Psychotic depression: advances in conceptualization and treatment. Hosp Comm Psychiatry 1992; 12: 3747Google Scholar
Frances, ABrown, RPKocsis, JH, et al.Psychotic depression: a separate entity?. Am J Psychiatry 1981; 138: 831833Google ScholarPubMed
Friedman, CDe, Mowbray MSHamilton, V. Imipramine in depressive states. J Ment Sci 1961; 107: 716719Google ScholarPubMed
Glassman, AHKantor, SJShostac, M. Depression, delusion and drug response. Am J Psychiatry 1975; 132: 716719Google ScholarPubMed
Glassman, AHRoose, SP. Delusional depression: a distinct clinical entity? Arch Gen Psychiatry 1981 38 424427CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goodwin, FKJamison, FRManic Depressive Illness New York: Oxford University Press, 1990Google Scholar
Jeste, DVPaulsen, JSHeaton, SErcoli, LHeaton, RK Is psychotic depression a distinct entity? 34th Meeting ACNP San Juan Puerto Rico Scientific Abstracts December 11–15, 1995Google Scholar
Kantor, SJGlassman, AH. Delusional depression: natural history and response to treatment. Br J Psychiatry 1977; 131: 351360CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kendler, SKGruenberg, ATsuang, MT. A DSM-III family study of the non-schizophrenic psychotic disorders. Am J Psychiatry 1986; 143: 10981108Google Scholar
Mendels, JFrazer, RGFitzgerald, TA. Biogenic amine metabolites in cerebrospinal fluid of depressed and manic patients. Science 1972; 175: 13801382CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nelson, JCBowers, MB. Delusional versus unipolar depression: description and drug response. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1978; 35: 13211328CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Overall, JEGorham, DR. The brief psychiatric rating scale. Psycol Rep 1962; 10: 799812CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paykel, ESMyers, JKDeinelt, MNKleaman, GLLindenthal, JJPepper, MP. Life events and depression: a controlled study. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1969; 21: 753760CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Placidi, GFLenzi, ALazzerini, FAkiskal, HSCassano, GB. The comparative efficacy and safety of carbamazepine versus lithium: a randomized double blind three years trial in 83 patients. J Clin Psychiatry 1986; 47: 490494Google Scholar
Pope, GH JrLipinski, JF Jr. Diagnosis in schizophrenia and manic-depressive illness. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1978; 35: 811828CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Post, RM. Transduction of psychosocial stress into the neurobiology of recurrent affective disorder. Am J Psychiatry 1992; 49: 9991010Google Scholar
Price, LHNelson, JCCharney, DSQuinlan, DM. Family history in delusional depression. J Affect Dis 1984; 6: 109114CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Prien, RFCaffey, EMKlett, CJ. A comparison of lithium carbonate and chlorpromazine in the treatment of excited schizo-affectives. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1972; 27: 182189CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Spiker, DGWeiss, JCDealy, RS. The pharmacological treatment of delusional depression. Am J Psychiatry 1985; 142: 430436Google ScholarPubMed
Zubin, JSpring, B.. Vulnerability. A new view of schizophrenia. J Abnorm Psychol 1977; 86: 103126CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.