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  Vol. 7 No. 5, September 1998 TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Relapse of Depression in Primary Care

Rate and Clinical Predictors

Elizabeth H. B. Lin, MD, MPH; Wayne J. Katon, MD; Michael VonKorff, ScD; Joan E. Russo, PhD; Greg E. Simon, MD, MPH; Terry M. Bush, PhD; Carolyn M. Rutter, PhD; Edward A. Walker, MD; Evette Ludman, PhD

Arch Fam Med. 1998;7:443-449.

Objective  To determine the clinical predictors and rate of relapse for major depression in primary care.

Design  A cohort study of subjects in 2 randomized trials of depressed patients diagnosed and prescribed antidepressant medicine by primary care physicians. Baseline, 7-month, and 19-month assessments were conducted.

Setting  A large primary care clinic of a staff-model health maintenance organization.

Patients  Two hundred fifty-one primary care patients who did not satisfy Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Revised Third Edition (DSM-III-R) criteria for major depression at 7 months.

Main Outcome Measures  Relapse was defined as (1) satisfying DSM-III-R criteria for major depression at 19 months, or (2) reporting an interval episode of 2 weeks or more of depressed mood and symptoms between 7 and 19 months. Predictors examined included demographic characteristics, medical comorbidity, disability, and psychological symptoms. Depressive symptoms were measured by Inventory of Depressive Symptoms and Hopkins Symptoms Checklist.

Results  Of the patients, 37.1% reported relapse of depression in the 12-month relapse-risk period. The 2 major risk factors associated with relapse were (1) persistence of subthreshold depressive symptoms 7 months after the initiation of antidepressant therapy (odds ratio, 3.3; 95% confidence interval, 2.74-3.93) and (2) history of 2 or more episodes of major depression, or chronic mood symptoms for 2 years (odds ratio, 2.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.41-2.76). Patients with both risk factors were approximately 3 times more likely to relapse than patients with neither.

Conclusions  The relapse rate among primary care patients treated for depression approached that of specialty samples, with more than one third reporting relapse in 1 year. Clinical characteristics can help target high-risk patients for relapse prevention efforts.


From the Center for Health Studies (Drs Lin, VonKorff, Simon, Bush, Rutter, and Ludman) and Northgate Medical Center (Dr Lin), Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, Seattle, Wash; and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle (Drs Katon, VonKorff, Russo, Simon, and Walker).


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