THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF DEPRESSIVE-DISORDERS

The Zurich cohort study of a community sample identified, up to age 35 , a lifetime prevalence rate for DSM mania/hypomania of 5.5%, half of these cases also met the criteria for major depressive episodes. The l ifetime prevalence rates obtained for major depressive disorder were 1 7.85% and the rate for all depressive subgroups including dysthymia, m inor depression, recurrent brief depression and major depression was 3 5.4%. Data on the validity of the diagnostic subgroups suggest that th ese high prevalence rates are based on clinically relevant case defini tions.