Endogenous and Neurotic Syndromes of Depression: A Factor Analytic Study of 104 Cases. Clinical Features

Abstract

In recent years several factor analytic studies of the depressive states have referred to the problem of the so-called endogenous and neurotic varieties of depression. Some authors (Hamilton and White, 1959; Kiloh and Garside, 1963; Carney et ai, 1965) have found a bipolar factor corresponding to the supposed endogenous—neurotic dichotomy or to an anxious retarded dichotomy (Hamilton, 1967) while others have not (McConaghy et al., 1966). Rosenthal and Gudeman (1967a, b) found two orthogonal factors which they felt described an endogenous (or autonomous) depressive syndrome and a self-pitying syndrome. Differences in selection of patients or in interpretation of results, and unconscious bias in recording clinical data (Oswald, 1966) have been held to be responsible for these discrepancies.