213 depressed patients were followed up from one month to 20 years later, and the effects of sex and age-at-onset were analysed. The results showed that only 5% of the group became bipolar, that males had a higher probability of later episodes, but that females were more likely to develop chronic depressive patterns. Evidence was cited for a distinction between early onset (“depression spectrum disease”) and late onset (“pure depressive disease”) depressions. (KD)