Psychotic and Neurotic Depression: Discriminant Function Analysis and Five-Year Outcome

A consecutive series of 94 patients recently admitted to hospital & diagnosed as having a depressive illness were examined. Data collected on the 71 subjects in the final sample included information on a familial history of suicide. There was 1 suicide in each group of subjects – 43 psychotic patients & 28 neurotic patients. When organic & other complicating illnesses were excluded, those with psychotic depression showed a significantly poorer outcome than those who suffered neurotic depression.