FREQUENCIES OF SEASONAL MAJOR DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AT HIGH-LATITUDES

A modified depression rating scale was distributed to a sample of the adult Finnish population (n = 1000) in November 1991. No dependence on latitude (60-degrees-N-70-degrees-N) was seen in the occurrence of de pression. The depressed subjects (n = 54) were reevaluated the followi ng May, and four cases with seasonal affective disorder were found. Th e results suggest that high latitudes with large variations in the dai ly lightperiod may not be responsible for high prevalence of major dep ression with a seasonal pattern.