Am J Psychiatry 1979; 136:62-66
Copyright © 1979 by American Psychiatric Association
Secondary depression: familial, clinical, and research perspectives
NC Andreasen and G Winokur
The authors evaluate the clinical and research significance of the
diagnosis of secondary depression by comparing 48 cases of primary and 26
cases of secondary depression. The patients with secondary depression have
a higher familial prevalence of alcoholism, affective disorder, and drug
abuse. The groups differ somewhat on a few sociodemographic, behavioral,
and attitudinal variables but are similar in symptomatology, sex ratio,
onset and duration of symptoms, treatment received, and response to
treatment. These results suggest that the distinction between primary and
secondary depression should be retained in research that examines
neurochemistry or genetics. Primary and secondary depression appear to be
identical from the persepctive of clinical care. Management of these
patients should emphasize the diagnosis of depression rather than
antecedent diagnoses.
