Am J Psychiatry 1991; 148:1341-1345
Copyright © 1991 by American Psychiatric Association
Identification and characterization of greater mood variance in depression
DP Hall Jr, HC Sing and AJ Romanoski
Department of Psychiatry, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC 20307.
OBJECTIVE: The authors sought to assess the quantity and quality of mood
variation in depressed persons. METHOD: Using a visual analogue scale, they
compared variation of mood in a group of patients (N = 9) with a DSM-III-R
diagnosis of depressive disorder and in a group of nondepressed subjects (N
= 9) over 12 consecutive hours. To quantify mood variation for each
subject, the authors computed the standard deviation of each subject's 13
mood ratings on the visual analogue scale. To characterize the quality of
mood variation within each subject, they plotted each subject's mood
ratings as a function of time and applied complex demodulation to confirm
cyclical patterns of mood variability (ultradian cycles). RESULTS: The
depressed group demonstrated greater mood score variability over the course
of the day. Both groups demonstrated ultradian cycles and circadian trends;
however, the depressed group demonstrated ultradian cycles of significantly
greater amplitude than the nondepressed group. CONCLUSIONS: Repeated
assessments of mood at different times of the day may be necessary to
obtain an accurate impression of a patient's mood state. Further, the
mechanism of depressive disorders may include a deregulation of a normal
oscillatory mood variation pattern.
