PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESSORS IN PATIENTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSION AND SILENT CEREBRAL INFARCTION

Background and Purpose We previously found that silent cerebral infarc tion (SCI) was present in most of the patients older than 50 years wit h major depression who were examined. The present study was designed t o clarify the relationship between psychosocial stressors and SCI in p atients with major depression. Methods Forty-two patients with unipola r depression underwent MRI and were classified as SCI-negative (n=19) or SCI-positive (n=23). The SCI-positive group was subclassified into those with moderate SCI (n=16) and those with severe SCI (n=7). The re lationship between the patients' DSM-III-R axis IV scores and SCI was evaluated. Results The axis IV score was significantly lower in the SC I-positive group than in the SCI-negative group (P < .05). Within the SCI-positive group, the mean axis IV score was significantly lower in those with severe SCI than in those with moderate SCI (P < .05). Concl usions Our findings suggest that depression in patients with SCI invol ves more neurological factors than psychosocial stressors.