SUBSYNDROMAL SYMPTOMATIC DEPRESSION - A NEW MOOD DISORDER

Secondary analyses in a subsample (N = 9160) of the National Institute of Mental Health Epidemiologic Catchment Area Program data base revea led that 19.6% of the general population reported one or more depressi ve symptoms in the previous month. One-year prevalence of two or more depressive symptoms in the general population was 11.8%, a prevalence figure exceeding the 9.5% 1-year prevalence for all the DSM-III mood d isorders combined. We have labeled this potential clinical condition a s subsyndromal symptomatic depression (SSD), defining it as any two or more simultaneous symptoms of depression, present for most or all of the time, at least 2 weeks in duration, associated with evidence of so cial dysfunction, occurring in individuals who do not meet criteria fo r diagnoses of minor depression, major depression, and/or dysthymia. S SD has a 1-year prevalence in the general population of 8.4%, two thir ds of whom are women (63.4%). The most common SSD symptoms reported ar e insomnia (44.7%), feeling tired out all the time (42.1%), recurrent thoughts of death (31.0%), trouble concentrating (22.7%), significant weight gain (18.5%), slowed thinking (15.1%), and hypersomnia (15.1%). Increased prevalence of disability and welfare benefits was found in SSD as compared with respondents with no depressive symptoms. SSD repr esents a significant clinical population not covered by any DSM-III, D SM-III-R, or DSM-IV mood disorder diagnosis. Since SSD is also associa ted with significant increases in social dysfunction and disability, w e feel there is good evidence to conclude that SSD is an unrecognized clinical condition of considerable public health importance that is de serving of further characterization and study.