Prognosis of depression and the endogenous-neurotic distinction

Abstract

SYNOPSIS Depressed patients were followed-up after 10 months, and factor scores reflecting respectively general severity, the endogenous-neurotic distinction, and an admixture of anxiety versus depression were used as predictors. The main prognostic relationships were with the endogenous-neurotic distinction and provided validating evidence for it. Endogenous depressives showed generally better prognoses. Individual rating variables used to derive the factors showed little relationship to outcome and prediction appeared to derive from a summation of elements relevant to the endogenous-neurotic distinction across many variables.