GENDER DIFFERENCES IN PRESENTATION OF CHRONIC MAJOR DEPRESSION

The authors examine gender differences in presentation of illness in 9 6 males and 198 females with DSM-III-R chronic major depression (i.e., major depression of at least 2 years' duration). Women were found to have increased severity of illness as measured by Hamilton Rating Scal e for Depression (HAM-D), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Clinica l Global Impressions (CGI) scores. Symptom comparisons revealed that w omen experience more psychomotor retardation than men. Women reported increased functional impairment on the Social Adjustment Scale-Self-Re port (SAS-SR), particularly in the areas of marital and family adjustm ent. Men were more likely to have a history of alcohol and substance a buse/dependence. These findings represent the first systematic study o f gender differences in a chronic depressive population.