Am J Psychiatry 1981; 138:328-333
Copyright © 1981 by American Psychiatric Association
Delusional and nondelusional unipolar depression: further evidence for distinct subtypes
DS Charney and JC Nelson
In a retrospective analysis, the course, symptoms, treatment response, and
personality of 54 delusional and 66 nondelusional unipolar depressed
patients were compared. The delusional patients had more guilt feelings and
were more ruminative, agitated, and referential than the nondelusional
patients. They had a poor response to a tricyclic antidepressant therapy
but good treatment outcome with a tricyclic- antipsychotic combination or
ECT. The form and content of prior episodes were remarkably similar to the
index episode in both groups. The authors believe that these findings
support the conception of unipolar delusional depression as a distinct
subtype of depressive illness.
