Am J Psychiatry 1984; 141:74-76
Copyright © 1984 by American Psychiatric Association
Divorce and assortative mating among depressed patients
KR Merikangas
Fifty-six married depressed patients were studied together with their
spouses an average of 2 years after their discharge from the hospital.
Thirty of the patients had psychiatrically ill spouses and 26 had
psychiatrically well spouses. On follow-up the group as a whole had a
divorce rate nine times the expected rate for the population. Couples in
which both members were ill had a significantly higher divorce rate than
couples in which only one member was affected. The authors suggest that the
psychiatric status of the spouse of a depressed patient may be a
significant factor in marital maladjustment and divorce.
