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Diagnosis and outcome: depression and anxiety in a general population

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 August 2011

Jane M. Murphy ,
Donald C. Olivier ,
Arthur M. Sobol ,
Richard R. Monson  and
Alexander H. Leighton
Jane M. Murphy*
Affiliation:
From Harvard Program in Psychiatric Epidemiology, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Donald C. Olivier
Affiliation:
From Harvard Program in Psychiatric Epidemiology, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Arthur M. Sobol
Affiliation:
From Harvard Program in Psychiatric Epidemiology, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Richard R. Monson
Affiliation:
From Harvard Program in Psychiatric Epidemiology, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Alexander H. Leighton
Affiliation:
From Harvard Program in Psychiatric Epidemiology, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr Jane M. Murphy, Harvard Program in Psychiatric Epidemiology, Department of Psychiatry, 703 Warren Building, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
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Synopsis

An assessment of the long-term outcome for depression and anxiety disorders in a general population was made as part of the Stirling County Study. Measuring outcome as a dichotomy between experiencing recurrent episodes or not during a 17-year cohort interval, it was found that 56% of the ‘cases’ had a poor prognosis. While sex, age and level of severity were not significantly related to outcome, an initial diagnosis of depression was predictive of unfavourable prognosis. Only a few of these ‘cases’ received psychiatric specialty treatment. Some disorders in the community appear, however, to be as serious as those that come to the attention of psychiatrists.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 16 , Issue 1 , February 1986 , pp. 117 - 126
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1986

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